A Storm between us
by HookfangTheAlpha
Summary: Catra and Adora were always the best of friends and nothing or no one could change that. Or so they thought. When a mysterious feline arrives to Etheria seeking help from an ancient prophecy,it changes Catra's life and causes Adora a feeling she never knew she could feel. Now they must help the mysterious feline,defeat the Horde and confess their deepest desires to each other
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Within the darkness of the training room,two shadowy figures were engaged in a battle.

The two clashed and slashed at one another with their bright red sabers,causing electrifying red sparks to fly off. The figures relentlessly slashed at each other,trying to get the other to surrender.

"You won't win this time,Catra!"a small young child named Adora told her sparring partner. A feline child named Catra smirked as she thrusted her saber at Adora though it got deflected. "We'll see about that!"she replied.

Adora lunged towards Catra,feinting the saber at her right shoulder then quickly lowering it at her hip. Catra saw right through the attempt and blocked the slash and began advancing onto Adora with hard attacks forcing Adora into the defensive. Adora managed to block most of the attacks while searching for an advantage.

Then an idea popped into her head.

She kept blocking Catra's quick attacks until she saw Catra pause for a moment before she twirled the saber and thrusted it at her chest,hoping Catra fell for the bait. She did. Catra rose her saber up horizontally and blocked the attempt with a smug smirk on her face. Quick as a snake,Adora moved her saber underneath Catra's then,using all of her strength,heaved Catra up and flipped her to the ground.

The feline yowled in surprise as she was lifted off the ground and landed heavily onto the ground,losing her saber in the process. She went to grab the saber but Adora kicked the saber from her reach then placed the tip of her saber on Catra's back. "Looks like I was right."Adora said extended her hand to Catra.

"Yeah yeah. Consider yourself lucky."Catra said as she accepted Adora's hand and got up. The darkness of the training room soon disappeared and was replaced with a bright light which showed Lonnie,Kyle,Rogelio and their training supervisor,Scales,not too far from them,watching. Scales approached them and looked at them with a smile. "That was an excellent performance from the both of you. Keep it up and you two will be the best fighters the Horde has ever had."he told them.

Catra and Adora looked at each other with huge grins on their faces. "Thanks sir."Adora told him.

He nodded then walked off.

The other kids swarmed around them once the supervisor was gone. "Nice job Adora,Catra."Lonnie told them in her usually bored 'whatever' voice. "That really was impressive,I'll give you two that."Rogelio said,his voice being so deep that it seemed that his words always had an echo to them. "I wish I could fight as well as you two."Kyle told them wistfully. His smile seemed to drop a bit as he said that.

"Thanks,"Adora said. And you will. You just have to practice more."Adora added. "Really? You think so?"Kyle asked his smile coming back. "I know so."Adora replied. "Well I don't know about you guys but I'm gonna head out. You coming Adora?"Catra asked as she walked out of the training room. "Yeah."Adora told her. She waved the others goodbye before she hurriedly walked to Catra.

They walked through the hallway of the Horde in silence for a while before Catra spoke. "You didn't do too bad at that sparring match." "Didn't do too bad?"Adora repeated incredulously. "I mean it could've been better. Too sloppy in my opinion."Catra said nonchalantly,shrugging. "Yet I was still able to beat you."Adora said with a smirk.

"As I said before,you got lucky."Catra repeated. "Sure."Adora said rolling her eyes. They went back to the bunk and flopped down on their bed. Adora put her hands behind her head and stared at the ceiling above her. She felt the furry body of Catra as she curled beside her. Absentmindedly,Adora moved her hand through Catra's mane and felt the vibrations of Catra's purr go through her arm.

They stayed like that for so long,just still and blissful silence,until the loud growl of Catra's stomach sounded. "Sounds like someone's hungry."she chuckled. Catra groaned then got up from the bed while she smacked Adora on the head with her tail. "I'm gonna try and find something to eat in this empty place."Catra said as she slinked out of the room.

"Just make sure you don't leave any blood or a half eaten carcass this time!"Adora called after her,unfortunately, remembering the time when she had come across one of Catra's half eaten carcasses. She heard Catra laugh before silence flooded the room once again.

Tiredness overcame Adora'a body. Her arms and legs went limp and her eyes started to droop. She tried to fight the exhaustion but soon decided to let it take her into a calm and dreamless sleep.

* * *

Hours later,Adora felt someone roughly shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes,yawned then rubbed away any sleepiness from her eyes. She came face to face with Catra who's entire mouth was caked in blood that was still slightly fresh.

She screamed.

Catra quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Hey! Are you trying to wake the entire Fright Zone!"Catra exclaimed. Adora pushed Catra's hand from her mouth while glaring at her. "Next time don't stand over me with your mouth covered in blood!"Adora retorted. "No promises."Catra replied. Adora gave her a look. "Oh come on. Your reaction was priceless."Catra told her laughing. Adora rolled her eyes. Once Catra managed to stop laughing,she spoke. "Anyway,you wanna do something exciting?"

There was her usual mischievous glint in her turquoise and yellow eyes as she said that.

Adora groaned knowing already that this was going to be bad. "Why do I have a feeling that it's something bad?"she asked. "It won't be bad...if we don't get caught."Catra said casually.

Adora wanted to tell her that she was crazy,that whatever she was thinking was going to go wrong. But she would be lying if she said that she wasn't in need of a little adventure. She leaned up on her elbows and looked closely at Catra. Her discolored eyes seemed to become brighter than usual and she smiled her usual smug,mischievous smile. Adora knew she would regret this but at the moment she just didn't care.

"I'm in."

* * *

**Author's note: I'm currently working on a She-ra fanfic in honor of season 4 which comes out on November 5. For this story in first two chapters Catra and Adora are six years old.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Adora and Catra waited until everyone was asleep before they decide to make their move.

Catra peeked her head through the door and looked around for any lurkers. When she saw none,she turned to Adora and gestured to follow. They silently tiptoed out their room into the hallway. Adora watched for anything or anyone that might be around while Catra used her superior hearing to listen for anything.

Five minutes later,still undetected,Catra stopped so abruptly that Adora nearly bumped into her. She looked over her shoulder and said,"We're here." Adora moved from behind Catra and looked into the room.

She immediately wished she had talked Catra out of her idea.

They were in front of Shadow Weaver's personal room. Adora remembered how Shadow Weaver drilled into their heads that this room was off limits and anyone who went inside would wish they hadn't. "Catra you didn't tell me that you wanted us to go into this room!"she exclaimed. "Obviously,otherwise you would've chickened out."Catra said casually.

"This is a bad idea Catra. We need to go back."Adora said urgently backing away. Catra turned and grabbed her hand. "Hey come on. Don't go chicken on me now." "Catra,this room is forbidden for a reason."Adora told her. Catra snorted. "Yeah a reason Shadow Weaver told us. Listen all we're going to do is go inside and take a look. Then we'll leave." Adora still didn't like the idea of going inside the room.

_I mean it's forbidden for a reason._

"I don't know Catra…"she said. "Please."Catra begged her,lowering her ears and expanded her pupils making her cat face that she knew Adora couldn't resist. "Catra you know that that is so unfair."Adora groaned trying her best to look away but couldn't. "...Oh fine,we'll go in. But we take a look and that's it."Adora told her sternly.

Catra cheered happily. She took Adora's hand and pulled her into the room,just in case she decided to chicken out. What they saw in the room was nothing like they ever saw before. A huge dark pink crystal stood in the middle of the room,glowing dully. Beside it was a small stone pool of green glowing water. "Woah."Catra breath out as she stared at the crystal,amazed and curious.

Beside her,Adora had relaxed momentarily as,she too,stared at the crystal in amazement. In a daze,she walked over to the crystal circling it debateing whether or not to touch it.

Curiosity got the best of her.

She reached her hand towards the crystal and touched it with her index finger. Pink electrical sparks flew off the crystal,shocking Catra in the process. "Ow."she yelped removing her finger from the crystal. "Maybe we should leave now."Adora said nervously.

Just then,they heard a groan from a familiar voice.

Both turned their heads in unison and whispered,"Shadow Weaver!" They looked around the room for a hiding spot but unfortunately found none. "We're trapped!"Catra exclaimed. "Quick get behind the crystal."Adora said. They ran and hid quietly behind the crystal just as Shadoweaver stumbled into the room.

She groaned as she floated over to the crystal. Adora and Catra leaned their heads over the crystal just enough to see Shadow Weaver place her hand on the crystal. A few sparks sprouted but seemed to have no effect on her. She removed her hand with a sigh then placed it over her mask,removed it,placed it at the edge of the pool then bent over the pool of water.

Seeing Shadow Weaver remove her mask made Adora gasped in surprise way too loud. Catra wanted to smack her but couldn't as she saw Shadow Weaver turned her face towards them. Catra felt cold all over as she saw Shadoweaver's face. It was purely gray,large almost black veins were popping out and her eyes were yellow and bloodshot. "What are you doing in here! Get out!"she yelled.

"Run!"Catra yelled. They shot from behind the crystal and ran to the exit,though they never made it. Black shadows blocked the doorway and covered the entire room as Shadoweaver raised her palm up and a red glow appeared around Catra's body and freezing her in her tracks. "Catra you stay. What do you think you're doing here?"Shadoweaver asked forcing the feline to face her.

"I'm sorry Shadow Weaver. We were just playing."Catra replied nervously. "Insolent child!"Shadow Weaver said. "I've come to expect such disgraceful behaviour from you. But I will not allow you to drag Adora down as well." Adora could see even though Catra's back was to her that she was scared. "Shadoweaver it wasn't her fault,it was my idea too."Adora told her pleadingly but it fell on deaf ears.

"You have been nothing more than a nuisance to me,"Shadow Weaver continued to Catra. "I've kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you." She brought Catra closer to her with a flick of her finger. "But if you do anything to jeopardize her future,I will dispose of you myself. Do you understand?"

Catra was scared beyond words. If she could move she would most likely be trembling in fear.

Adora couldn't take it any longer.

She jumped in front of Catra,waving her arms as if to protect her from Shadow Weaver's words. "Please stop!"she exclaimed desperately. Shadow Weaver looked at them for a few moments longer before the shadows disappeared. She turned away from them while flicking her wrist. The red glow disappeared from Catra and she fell down on the ground.

The feline looked at Shadow Weaver,terrified,then ran out of the room. "Catra!"Adora exclaimed,going to chase after her. "Adora."Shadow Weaver called in a sweet voice. Adora winced but turned to face her. "Shadow Weaver,Catra didn't mean to do anything."she said. "You must do a better job at keeping her under control." She stretched her hand to Adora and placed a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

It took all Adora's self control not to shiver at the touch. "Do not let something like this happen again."She patted Adora lightly on her head before walking away. Adora turned away and walked from the room while looking for Catra.

* * *

After a near hour of looking for Catra in the halls,training room or even the vents near the ceiling,Adora decided to head back to her dorm.

Upon coming closer to her dorm,she heard sobbing and sniffling.

Quietly,she walked towards her dorm and peeked. The person had a blanket covering them so she couldn't see who it was. Then she noticed a long tanned tail sticking out from the blanket and knew who it was. "Catra?"she called softly.

Almost instantly the crying stopped but no reply came.

She walked over to bunk and removed the blanket to reveal Catra. Her ears flattened as she hissed at her. "Catra,it's ok it's just me."Adora told her. Catra wiped away her tears while Adora sat beside her. "It doesn't matter what they do to us. You know? You look out for me,I look out for you." When Catra didn't respond,Adora put her hand on her shoulder and gently turned her so they were facing each other,though Catra still didn't look her in the eye. "Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have each other."

Now Catra looked Adora in the eye,still watery but they held a hope as she said,"You promise?" "I promise."Adora replied firmly. Catra leaned her head against Adora's chest as Adora held her close. They stayed like that for so long until Adora finally said,"Come on, let's get some sleep." Catra nodded and they got into their bunk. Adora felt the lack of sleep beginning to overcome her when she heard Catra say,"Adora?"

"Yes Catra?"she replied,her speech somewhat slugging from lack of sleep. "Can I sleep beside you tonight?"Catra asked softly. Adora lifted her head and looked at Catra who looked scared,watching every single corner or dark space in the room. She felt sympathy for her best friend and couldn't refuse her. "Of course."Adora said scooting over to make room. Catra crawled over to the space beside Adora,walked into a circle then curled up and laid down against Adora,purring softly.

Adora looked over at Catra and smiled. She took her arm and wrapped it around Catra's waist,who purred louder now,and stayed like that as sleep finally took over.


	3. Chapter 3 part 1

Chapter 3

part 1

Five years later

He slashed his claws across the cluster of vines before him.

_This place is insufferable_ he thought to himself annoyed. Though the place had a good amount of shelter the food was ridiculously low to the point where he sometimes wondered if he would die of starvation. Not only that but the place itself sounded as if it was talking,whispering. He could never get a moment of peace and in addition to his excellent hearing it made things worse. He wanted nothing more than to leave this cursed place but then he remembered why he was even here. _Your people need you_ he told himself. _Remember the prophecy._ Almost as if on cue with his thoughts,the prophecy echoed through his mind.

_When everything seems lost_

_Two of the same kind will cross_

_To fight and unite as one_

_To save a race that may be gone_

_She who is strong of mind_

_Who thinks she is the last of her kind_

_Will give survival to the next generation_

_Before they fall into great desperation_

He remembered the hopeful gaze of everyone in the Council when Trout,an elder and healer,told them this prophecy. He had spent days trying to make sense of the bloody prophecy but he could only understand bits of it.

_The two of the same kind will cross_ part he assumed was that he would meet someone like him. It was the closest guess he had anyway. _To fight and unite as one_ and _to save a race that may be gone_ he knew that this person and him would fight together and save his race.

He took a logical guess that the person was a girl from the second part of the prophecy which started with she. The third part of the second verse was what he couldn't grasp. Will give survival to the next generation. That could be an endless possibility of things.

"Maybe this person will do something that'll help us survive."Lightning,his best friend and commander of the Speed Crew,had said. "I know this person will do something. The question is what will this person do?"he had said. "It must be something big in order to save an entire race."his mother and queen,Kara,observed.

His father and king,Nightshade,rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We already established that this person is undoubtedly a female. If you read the third part of the second verse carefully and think about it,then it leads to only one conclusion. Perhaps you have to take this girl as your mate."

He thought over what his father had said and told himself that it could be a possibility but there was still one problem.

"Even if I take this female as my mate how will that save our race? Her giving me a few sons or daughters cannot save an entire race."he told his father. "Perhaps this person isn't a normal female then."his father murmured more to himself. All of them waited for him to continue his thoughts out loud to them but he just turned to Lightning and said,"Get all the magicians to the dome. Storm,meet us there. You'll leave immediately."

After all the magicians were rounded up,they transported him to this place and now here he was. The rumbling of his stomach brought him back to the present. He grimaced in annoyance. Just the idea of having to look for food made him groan where it usually had the opposite effect.

_If I have to go another day without food I might just become a vegetarian._

He sniffed the air around him and nearly whooped for joy when he caught the scent of a rabbit. He followed the scent and found not one but two rabbits,absentmindedly nibbling on some grass.

Containing his wave of joy,he crouched down to the ground and slowly stalked towards the rabbits. Once he was in striking,he lunged towards the rabbits,catching them in his paws,and killing them with a quick bite on their spine before they even knew what was happening. He tore a chunk of meat from one of them and sighed in bliss at the taste.

Even though it tasted like every other rabbit he'd ever eaten,he had gone the last three days without meat and that was enough to make the rabbit taste like heaven. He devoured the rabbits quickly,savoring the saltiness of the meat,then licked the blood off his lips.

Tiredness instantly flooded him and he yawned. _Better find somewhere to sleep tonight_ he thought. He easily found a soft patch of grass with a cluster of trees hanging overhead and rocks forming a semi-circle around it,protecting him from any unwanted attention.

He walked over to the spot,trotted in a circle then laid down curled up as sleep took him away.

* * *

Adora buckled her belt across her waist,pulled her boots up and tied her long blonde hair into a high ponytail. She then put on her arm bands assigned only to her and made sure her chest piece was fixed before walking to one of the punching bags and landing a few punches.

She smiled to herself then put her visor over her eyes then headed out of the locker room to the training room. Lonnie,Rogelio and Kyle were already standing at attention while they waited for instructions but no Catra.

"Hey,have any of you seen Catra?"she whispered. "Nope."they all answered. "Uhg,not again." Adora sighed rolling her eyes. She wasn't surprised in the slightest. For years Catra had been slacking off such as not appearing to a training exercise or appearing late several times.

"At attention cadets,"their training supervisor,Scales,said. "Your simulation is about to begin." He stopped before them with a tablet in his hand and pressed something on it. A hologram of a forest with white glowing eyes appeared before them. "Your mission is to get through the Whispering Woods,which is highly secured and protected,and destroy their defenses. Is that clear?"he asked. "Yes sir!"they replied. "Good. With that said begin."

They turned and ran deeper into the training grounds,hoping over "tree branches" and other things. "Alright,what we're going to do first is-"Adora started but was cut off as a red laser shot at them,missing by a hair. "Horde bots!"Lonnie exclaimed. They all turned to see Horde bots appeared from the shadows.

Adora quickly thought of a plan.

"Everyone to me."she cried. Everyone ran back and gathered around Adora. "Here's the plan: Lonnie you take the bots on the right,Kyle and Rogelio you two take the ones on the left and i'll take the ones in front."she told them. They nodded then separated,rushing towards the horde bots.

Adora brandished her saber and lunged at one of the two Horde bots. It pointed its laser gun at her and shot. She moved smoothly out of its range then slashed her saber across one of its legs. The bot toppled over and fell hard to the ground just as it shot another laser. The laser shot over to the other bot and made contact dead center of it. The bot jerked while electricity supplied across it,the red lights flickered out of existence and then it fell to the ground just as Adora thrusted the saber through the other Horde bot. Electricity rippled across it and the red lights flickered a few times before finally fading away.

Adora looked at the two defeated Horde bots with a satisfied smile then looked over at the others. Lonnie was fighting the last Horde bot while Kyle and Rogelio just destroyed their last one. "Hang on Lonnie,we're coming!"Kyle shouted as he sprinted to her.

Adora looked at the Horde bot and saw that it noticed Kyle running towards it. It kept one of its laser guns on Lonnie then turned the other one to Kyle. "Kyle move out the way now!"Adora shouted to him. But it was too late. The bot shot a laser at Kyle who didn't dodge it on time and it hit him hard right in his chest piece,causing him to fall to the ground. Lonnie jumped high into the air and slashed her saber across the Horde bot,instantly destroying it.

All the kids took a moment to recompose their breathing as the adrenaline of the fight in them began to fade away. Once they got their breathing under control,they all ran to Kyle. He way laying on his back with a miserable look on his face and a red X was on his chest piece,indicating he was "dead". "Really Kyle?"Adora said exasperated as Lonnie remarked,"Bravo Kyle." Adora didn't want to be mean to Kyle but there were times when he could really make her wish he wasn't apart of their squad.

Kyle sighed.

"Yeah I know,I suck. Just go and finish the training already."Kyle said sadly. Rogelio looked at him for a moment before extending his hand to Kyle. He looked at it for a moment before accepting it. Adora couldn't help but watch the exchange between Kyle and Rogelio with a raised eyebrow. In the previous trainings,they'd learned that once your teammate was dead,he or she was no longer your concern.

"Cadet Kyle,get on the sidelines now!"Scales called out from somewhere within the training room. He nodded. "Good luck guys."he said to them then walked off. Lonnie and Rogelio then turned to Adora. "What's next?"Lonnie asked. "We press forward."Adora replied. They nodded then continued forward,watching their surroundings attentively. "It seems we're in the clear."Rogelio said after a long few moments of silence.

As if right on cue,an enormous horde bot appeared from out of nowhere.

"Oh you just had to open your scaly mouth,didn't you Rogelio."Lonnie grumbled,throwing her hands in the air. This bot was much longer than the previous ones they had fought,a more bright lime green with crest popping inward. It shot a laser at Rogelio and it hit him dead on the chest.

"Lonnie take the left!"Adora yelled as she sprinted towards the gigantic bot. Lonnie sprinted towards the bot,easily dodging lasers,then slashed her saber at one of its legs. It cut through the metal like butter as the bot tilted to the side slightly from the uneven weight. It turned its censor to Lonnie then raised a metal leg and stomped down to crush Lonnie. "Lonnie,move now!"Adora yelled as she fought and avoided becoming a pancake by the bot's surprisingly fast legs.

She jumped out of the way and turned to face the bot again but it raised it one of its legs again and kicked her hard. She flew off the ground and landed heavily on her back. The bot aimed one of its laser guns at Lonnie and shot. She hurriedly got up and dodged the first laser but couldn't dodge the second one as it came into contact with her chest piece. "Lonnie!"Adora cried out as she ran over to her teammate. "Don't worry about me Adora. Beat that horde bot!"Lonnie said.

Adora nodded fiercely then turned to face the bot and charged toward it. Lasers shot after her but she nimbly dodged them. Once she was in striking range of the bot,she put a tremendous burst of strength in her legs then leapt high into the air and landed right on the bot. It shot a laser at her but she quickly ducked then slashed her saber across the laser gun on the left,cutting it in half. The right one shot a laser at her but she dodged it once more then thrusted her saber into the laser gun,yanked it out and thrust it into the bot's head.

The bot fall down to the ground,red light on its head flickering rapidly while electricity rippled across it then a loud buzzing noise echoed from it. Adora turned and jumped off the bot a second before the head exploded. She landed heavily to her side and rolled on her stomach. A loud beep sounded in the training room as a trapdoor opened underneath the broken bot. It slowly started to fall through but then the legs all tangled into one,stopping it from going in.

Adora raised her head in time to see Catra walking past her towards the bot. She watched as Catra stopped before the bot,placed her foot on one of the bot's legs and pushed it,making the bot fall through the trapdoor. Adora slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and turned to see Catra looking at her,arms crossed over her chest and a small smirk on her face.

_What is she thinking about now_ Adora thought.

Catra lifted her hand then pointed a finger in a downward motion. At first,Adora was only confused by what Catra did but soon realisation clicked in as she looked below her and saw she was sitting on a trapdoor. Before she could even move,a beep sounded and the trapdoor underneath her opened. "Ah!"she shouted as she fell through the trapdoor.

Using her quick thinking,she brandished her saber out in time as the tips caught on both walls,creating a pole to hold her from falling further in.

She looked up to see Catra leaning over the edge of the trapdoor,smiling mischievously down at her. "Hey Adora,how's it hanging?"she asked teasingly. "Catra,did you really show up late and let us do all the hard work. That is low even for you."Adora said. "Ah,you know nothing's too low for me."Catra replied then laughed. She then extended her hand to Adora. "Oh come on,you look stupid hanging down there."

Adora rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling at her best friend. She grabbed Catra's hand and Catra pulled her out the trapdoor. "Training exercise successfully completed."a voice said throughout the training room. "Great work cadets,"Scales said to them as they gathered around. "A few more training sessions and you four will be great soldiers." He turns and shot Catra a glare. "Five if one of you comes to training from now on."

Catra did her best to not roll her eyes at the jab.

Once he turned and left,the cadets walked to the locker room. Adora opened her locker and put all her horde training equipment into the locker as Catra went over to her and laughed. "You should've seen your face. You were like 'Ah no betrayal'."she said dramatically clutching on her locker and falling slowly to the ground. Adora watched with an annoyed expression but couldn't help the tiny smile that crossed her face.

She retrieved her belt and red jacket and closed the locker. "I can't believe you're still playing those childish,immature-is that a rat?"she cried,pointing above her. She saw Catra's tail and mane of fur bristle as she shot up. "What! Where?"she asked,eyes darting from side to side. Adora laughed at how easily Catra was fooled.

"Are you ever going to not fall for that?"she asked Catra teasingly. "I don't know,are you ever going to let it go?"Catra retorted looking at Adora annoyedly. "That was one time." "I know,but for some reason it's still funny."Adora said as Catra leaned against the locker beside her. "One day when you show a fear of something,I'm going to tease you mercilessly about it."Catra said with a devious smile.

"Good luck with that."Adora replied smugly as she grabbed Catra in a chokehold and vigorously rubbed her head with her knuckle,laughing. "Let go of me,you dork."Catra hissed,only half annoyed,while desperately trying to get out of Adora's iron grip but it was hopeless. Suddenly,the room became much darker than before and a shadow appeared before the two cadets.

"Adora."a cold,low voice sounded that could only belong to one person.

Shadow Weaver.

Both girls immediately stopped playing around. Adora straightened while Catra just leaned against the locker. "Shadow Weaver."Adora replied,giving her a salute. She nodded. "I have heard of your progress today. You have done well Adora."she praised. "Thank you Shadow Weaver."she replied. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Catra flattened her ears,one of the few indications that she was either upset or annoyed. "With all due respect,Catra also did an amazing job in training today."she added,wrapping an arm around Catra.

It wasn't a complete lie but it wasn't the complete truth either.

_Well,it's not like Shadow Weaver has to know_ Adora told herself.

She could feel Catra's gaze on her but she didn't say anything. "According to what Scales told me,I highly doubt she did anything."Shadow Weaver replied coldly. Adora kept her composure calm and cool but on the inside, she was raging. _Why does Shadow Weaver hate Catra so much?_ She had always asked herself that question even when she was younger. She hated the way Shadow Weaver always treated Catra. Like she was a nobody,a bother,worthless.

But no matter how much Adora hated how Catra was treated she had never acted upon it or talked to Shadow Weaver about it. _And something tells me that she knows that_ Adora thought.

"Adora walk with me."Shadow Weaver's voice broke her thoughts as she turned and walked off. Adora took a step forward but then stopped and looked at Catra. Though she kept her head down,Adora could still see the sadness and hurt on her face. She gently squeezed Catra's shoulder in comfort. Catra looked up at Adora and let a small smile cross her face as she placed her hand on Adora's.

"Adora!"Shadow Weaver barked out. Adora gave Catra one last look then removed her arm and walked to Shadow Weaver. The two walked through the hallway in complete silence for the first few minutes before Shadow Weaver spoke.

"Lord Hordak has been watching your progress and he's extremely impressed." Excitement flooded through her. Everyone knew that being praised by Lord Hordak was one of the highest praise any Horde soldier could receive. "Lord Hordak has been watching me?"she asked in disbelief and happiness. "Oh yes. In fact,he said that he was so impressed that he,himself,said that you would make a fine candidate for a Force Captain."Shadow Weaver said. Adora couldn't help the huge grin that spread across her face.

"Lord Hordak said that about me?"she asked,her voice almost rising into a squeal. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. _If Lord Hordak thinks I'd be a good Force Captain then that means…._

"Oh yes. He sees great things about you."Shadow Weaver replied,pleased at Adora's reaction. "In fact,he's letting you have the honor of leading a squadron to the invasion of the rebel's fortress Thaymore."she added. At that Adora came to a halt in her walk. "Thaymore...That means we're finally seeing active duty?" "You're seeing active duty."Shadow Weaver said,emphasizing the word you're.

"But i'll be able to bring my team along right?"Adora asked,knowing how much the team would love to see an actual squadron in action. "Your team is not ready. They'll only slow you down."Shadow Weaver said sharply,continuing to walk. Adora,however,was anything if not determined as she hurriedly followed her mentor. "Shadow Weaver,with all due respect,they've been training hard for this too. And Catra,all she wants is to get out there and prove herself."she said. "Then she should've worked harder to prove herself to me."Shadow Weaver replied coldly as she turned sharply back to Adora with her eyes narrowed.

Adora was baffled by what Shadow Weaver was saying. How could she say that her team wasn't ready? Granted,they weren't the best but that was to be expected and Adora thought that giving them a chance to see active duty would help them learn. Also,how could she say that Catra wasn't ready,that she needed to work harder to prove herself to Shadow Weaver when that was all she ever tried doing her whole life!

It was unfair and Adora knew it but,as usual,she didn't say or act upon it. "Adora,"Shadow Weaver said,cutting Adora's train of thought. "The other cadets will have a chance to prove themselves to me one day." Curling her hands in a circle motion,a dark ball of mist formed then disappeared showing the badge of an official Force Captain.

It was just about the size of Adora's hand with a green outline,yellow inside and the Horde's logo,a pair of dragon wings. "Now is your chance to prove yourself."Shadow Weaver said. Adora stared at the badge in disbelief and shock for a long moment then set her face in a determined expression and,hesitatingly,taking the badge from Shadow Weaver. As she stared at the badge,Shadow Weaver put her hand on her back and lead her to one of the big windows that showed the outside of the Fright Zone.

"Is this not you wanted since you were old enough to want anything?" Shadow Weaver said as she looked at Adora. She stared at the outside of the Fright Zone,her only home that kept being destroyed by those evil princesses or causing them to push back from expanding. _This is what I always wanted._ "Yes."Adora answered simply. "Then are you ready Adora?"Shadow Weaver asked.

She set her face into determination and turned to Shadow Weaver. "I'm ready."she replied fiercely.

* * *

Adora leaned over a balcony that overlooked most of the Fright Zone,staring at the Force Captain badge in her hand.

_It finally happened_ she thought happily. _I'm a Force Captain at last._

She clipped her badge on her jacket then turned to walk off when a large blur rushed towards her and landed on top of her,causing her to fall on her back heavily. It took her a second to realize that the blur was none other Catra. "What did she say?"she asked hurriedly. Then she caught sight of the badge on Adora's jacket. "Hey what's this?"she asked curiously.

She took the badge off Adora's jacket then quickly jumped off her. "Hey! Give it back!"Adora yelled trying to get the badge back but Catra kept dodging away. "No way! Adora,you've been promoted?!"Catra said in shock. "Yeah,though it's not really a big deal."Adora said dismissively,crossing her arms over her chest. "Are you kidding?"Catra said as she grabbed Adora's arms,baffled that Adora was not practically jumping with joy.

"That is awesome! We can take over the world and conquer it! Adora,I need to blow something up."she said happily. Adora felt a wave of happiness when she saw Catra's eyes dilate into big black orbs within her yellow and turquoise eyes. Then she remembered what Shadow Weaver had told her and instantly felt guilty. "Um…"she said. Catra looked at Adora's troubled face and knew something was wrong. "What?"she asked. "Shadow Weaver said that only I would be going. The rest of you would be staying here because 'you weren't ready'."Adora replied,not looking directly at Catra.

A long moment of complete,tense silence flooded between before Adora finally couldn't take it anymore and looked at Catra. She was simply staring at the floor,tail lashing back and forth and fists curled up.

Then she turned to Adora.

"Did you say anything?"she asked,her voice holding barely any expression though Adora caught the emotion of anger. "I told her that Kyle,Lonnie,Rogelio and you especially have trained hard for a chance like this."Adora replied. Catra scoffed. "Are you kidding me right now Adora?" "What do you mean?"Adora asked confused. "What kind of response is that?! You didn't even try to tell her off or that it was completely unfair!"Catra said angrily throwing her hands up in the air.

"Catra,I tried my best to get her to let you guys come with me."Adora replied defensively,her own anger starting to rise. "Ya,you really tried all right,"Catra sneered jumping on the railing of the balcony. "Sure must be easy being a people pleaser like you." "I am not a people ple-Hey!"Adora said but Catra turned around and leaped onto one of the higher levels of the Fright Zone.

"Catra wait!"she called out but Catra ignored her. She sighed,shaking her head,as she went to follow Catra. _Why is Catra so stubborn? _she asked herself not seeming to realise that she was smiling.

* * *

After about five minutes of climbing all the higher levels of the Fright Zone with a grappling hook Adora,at last,made it to the top of the Fright Zone. Panting,she reeled in her grappling hook.

_Catra is so lucky she can just jump from one spot to another_ she thought slightly annoyed.

Once she caught her breath,Adora turned to see Catra sitting on the railing and walked over to her. She stayed behind Catra,took a deep breath then spoke. "Look I'm sorry. I didn't even think you wanted to be a Force Captain." "I don't. Here take your stupid bagde."Catra replied chucking the bagde behind her and Adora caught it.

"Besides,it's not like I care. I just want to get out of this dump at some point before I die of boredom. It's just...I even wonder what's outside the Fright Zone."Catra sighed as she laid across the railing.

"Why don't we go find out."Adora said mischievously as she held out a key for the Horde's battleships. Catra's eyes widened in shock then turned to Adora with a devious smile.

* * *

"I take it all back. You're officially awesome!"Catra cried out as they flew one of the battleships they had stolen out of the Fright Zone.

"I can't actually believe you stole a ship." "Borrowed. Please don't make me regret this."Adora replied. "I've always wanted to drive one of these things."Catra said. "Here give it."she said as she got up and pushed Adora out the way while grabbing the handle of the ship.

"Woah there Catra. You didn't come to our training session on how to drive these things so it could be a problem."Adora stated while she held Catra's arm. "Don't think this'll be a problem for future Adora and Catra."Catra replied then pushed the accelerator on the ship. "Catra hand over the ship!"Adora demanded. "No way Adora."Catra protested as she kept the handle from Adora's reach. As the two argued over the ship,neither seemed to realise that they were heading right into enemy territory until Adora looked up and yelled,"Catra,stop the ship!"

Startled but obeyed,Catra pulled the handle back forcing the ship to a full stop right before some woodland. The two girls stayed silent as they stared at the woods before them. "Where are we?"Catra asked in a hushed voice. Adora knew just by looking at the woods where they were. "This is the Whispering Woods."she said in dread.

"The what now?"Catra asked puzzled. "Are you kidding me?! Catra,you were there when we had the presentation about this place."Adora said frustrated. Catra shrugged. "I was there but most of what they said just slipped my mind." Adora rolled her eyes. "The Whispering Woods is the princesses' greatest defense against our troops. The trees move when you're not looking. Ever Horde squadron they've sent in there has never come out again."Adora told her,fear evident in her voice as she remembered the tales Shadow Weaver told all the cadets about this place.

Apparently,the tale had a different effect on Catra as she tightened her grip on the handle of the ship and said,"Let's go in." "Wait what-AH!"Adora yelled as Catra abruptly put her foot on the accelerator and dashed into the Whispering Woods. She clung tightly to the ship as Catra dodged trees and swerved around vines. "This is awesome!"Catra yelled happily "Come on Adora. Loosen up a bit."Catra said to Adora as she saw her holding onto the ship for dear life.

Adora looked ahead and saw a huge tree right in their path! "Catra!"Adora yelled. In a swift motion,she grabbed the handle and sharply turned the ship away from the tree and dodging other obstacles. Suddenly,a vine hooked around Adora's neck and,in the blink of an eye,she was thrown off the ship falling down to the ground. "Adora!"Catra shouted.

She collided with multiple branches as the ground rapidly rushed towards Adora.

* * *

Adora's eyes slowly fluttered open as she started to wake up. Pushing herself up,she checked herself to see if she had any broken bones or injuries but had none,other than a throbbing headache.

_I swear,I'm going to kill Catra for her recklessness_ Adora thought to herself.

Suddenly,she noticed a bright blue glow appearing from before her.

She raised her head up to see a sword stuck in a tangle of vines. Curious but wary,she carefully approached the sword. Up close,she saw that it had a golden hilt with a turquoise gem inside it. The blade was light blue with some type of markings running down it.

"Cool."Adora whispered in awe. She stretched her hand towards the glowing sword and lightly touched it. Light exploded from the sword,blinding Adora then images started appeared rapidly before her. A large glowing planet,a bright,green land,a round stone,the very same sword she had just touched glowing brightly,a dark temple covered in vines,the sound of a baby crying as a tall and muscular woman with long,wavy,golden hair stood at the edge of a cliff.

Before the images faded away,a holographic woman appeared and softly whispered,"Adora." before the images faded away.

* * *

"Adora,Adora!" Eyes fluttering open,Adora woke up to the sight of Catra peering down at her worriedly. "Catra...w-what happened?"Adora asked her groggily. "You fell out of the ship when trying to avoid hitting the tree."Catra replied. "You mean the tree you nearly drove us into!"Adora retorted as she pushed Catra off her.

"You know I could've just left you here right?"Catra said as she brushed the dirt off her. "But you didn't."Adora replied with a sly grin. "Yeah,so you better remember that,"Catra replied. "And you seriously need to stop giving me heart attacks. You're making that whole 'I thought you were dead' thing is way too much of a habit."she added annoyedly.

"Aww,you were worried about me."Adora teased. "Yeah,yeah. It's only cause Shadow Weaver would kill me if I got you hurt or killed."Catra replied casually as she crept towards Adora and pressed her head softly against her shoulder.

"Sure."Adora replied as she extended her arm towards Catra and lightly scratched behind her ear,making Catra purr loudly.

Then Adora remembered the glowing sword,the images and the holographic woman who said her name.

"Catra where's the sword?"Adora asked as she abruptly shot up making Catra nearly fall face first into the ground. "The what?"Catra asked. "The sword! It was right here!"Adora repeated in a rush,looking around for it but saw only trees,bushes and vines. "Adora,I was here for the last two minutes and I didn't see a sword."Catra told her as she watched,confused,while Adora kept looking around.

"But it was right here,I saw it!"Adora protested. "Are you brain damaged,"Catra asked her as she cupped Adora's face and looked at her closely. "Please don't be brain damaged. God Shadow Weaver's going to kill me!"

"I'm not brain damaged! The sword was literally right here!"Adora said. "Well,it isn't here now so come on let's go."Catra said as she grabbed Adora's arm and went to pull her to where Catra landed the ship when her ear twitched. She stopped walking while her head turned to the canopy of trees above them. "Catra,why did yo-" "Ssh!"Catra ordered as she narrowed her eyes at the trees above.

"Adora,"she said after a moment of searching. "I want you to keep walking,stay silent and act normal...well as normal as you are."Catra whispered. Adora rolled her eyes at the remark but did as Catra said as they walked back towards the ship.

After a few seconds of walking,Catra suddenly turned and leaped into the air. Adora looked up to see Catra collided with some blur and tossed that blur away from her into a tree. Landing of her feet,she looked at the person she threw,claws brandished.

"Who the hell are you and wh-." She cut herself off as she stared at the person before them.

Adora gasped as she saw the person.

The person was a male with black fur and mane around his head,red stripes on his arms,golden eyes and a headpiece on his head. Other than the obvious differences,he looked exactly like Catra.

The cat-person eyes widened as he stared at them,particularly Catra. Either person moved nor spoke as they simply stared at one another in awe and wonder.

Then,slowly,Catra lowered herself down all fours and walked towards the cat-person. He simply watched her closely as she cautiously approached him. She stopped walking when they were a centimeter apart and simply stared at each other,seemingly having a silent conversation.

Up close,Catra was able to see the faint scar below the cat-person's left eye,the smear of blood under his bottom lip. As they continued to stare at one another only one thought ran through Catra's head.

_I don't like this guy._

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry I took so long to upload but this chapter took WAY longer than I planned. Just to inform you readers,in this story Adora and Catra's relationship is much more "healthy" in a way of speaking and Adora knows and understands the mistakes she does and Catra is able to manage her anger slightly better. Key word: SLIGHTLY! Hope you all enjoy the story so far.**


	4. Chapter 4 part 2

Chapter 5

part 2

An hour earlier…

Storm had been forced to wake up from his rarely wonderful sleep due to the gnawing hunger in his stomach. He groaned in annoyance as he uncurled himself,stretched his cramped body then shook the grass and dirt off his body.

_Might as well try and get some food_ he thought,though the idea really didn't sit well with him. He sniffed the air,caught the scent of a few rabbits and went to search for them. He soon found four rabbits but only managed to catch three of them.

As he was devouring into them,he caught the scent of something completely different within the forest. It was something new and definitely didn't belong in the forest. He raised his head. from his half eaten rabbit and sniffed the air.

It was coming from the north of the forest.

He rapidly finished his second rabbit,licked the blood off his mouth before running north,sniffing the air every once in a while to make sure he was staying on the right track. After some time he heard someone yell,"Adora!"

_Seems like I'm getting closer to them_ he thought. He came to a full stop and thought of the best approach to this. _If these intruders are dangerous or a threat,I need to approach undetected._

He decided to use the trees.

He leaped towards one of the trees near him,retracting his claws midair,then began gouging handholds into its bark until he was on top one of the branches. He then leaped nimbly from branch to branch,trying to be as silent as possible. Finally after some time,he heard the intruders say,"Adora,Adora wake up!" He stopped leaping and leaned forward,trying to see the intruders below,but could only see a red jacket and blonde fur. "Catra,w-what happened?"the intruders said. "You fell out of the ship while trying to avoid hitting that tree."

"You mean the tree you nearly drove us in!"one of them said. Storm shook his head. _These intruders are strange to say the least_ he thought. However,they don't sound dangerous. Then again,it's better to be safe than sorry. Then his ear twitched as he heard the sound of a low purr come from the intruders.

_Yep,definitely strange intruders_ Storm thought.

After a few moments,he heard one of them say,"Well,it's not here so let's go." Now is the time! He slowly made his body go into an attack stance as he turned,watching the intruders leave through the little openings through the clustered leaves and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Unfortunately,one of his claws scraped against the tree branch.

He froze just as the intruders stopped walking and one of them turned their heads to look up.

He tried to see the intruder but all he saw was brown fur. Eventually,the intruder turned away and they kept walking. He tensed his back legs then launched from the branch down below just as one of the intruders collided into him! The intruder grabbed him and threw him into a tree. He hissed at the flare of pain that hit him. _How did that intruder hear me!_ he thought in incredulous. "Who the hell are you and wh-" He heaved himself up looked at the intruders,ready to tear them to shreds,then stopped as he saw the intruders.

One of them was a tall and muscular creature with pale fur and bright blue eyes. He had never seen a creature like her in his entire life.

The other intruder beside her,however,was the one who caught his attention.

She was tall,though a head shorter than the other creature and him,and slender with tanned fur,an unruly mane of spiked fur behind her head,tabby stripes on her arms,a headpiece around her face and two different colored eyes. The one on the left was yellow and the one on the right was turquoise.

She looked exactly like him.

_She is exactly like me_ he corrected himself.

_When everything seems lost two of the same kind will cross_ the prophecy echoed in his mind. He looked back at the female. _She is here. The prophecy is true. My race will be saved at last!_ He wanted nothing more than to scream in pure joy but under the situation,it wouldn't be right. The female slowly got on all fours and,almost hesitantly,walked over to him. He made himself stay still as she continued to walk over him before stopping a centimeter away from him. Upon further searching,he was able to see the light freckles on her cheeks.

_The prophecy shall finally be fulfilled_ he thought to himself satisfied. And the best part is that it was easier than he intentionally thought it would be.

* * *

Catra did not trust this cat-person one bit. Especially after how he tried to attack her and Adora,she wanted to teach him a lesson. "Catra?"Adora asked worriedly,taking a step closer to Catra who hadn't moved for a while. Catra saw the male's eyes flicker to Adora and his tail lash and knew he was going to try something.

She hissed at the cat-person as she placed herself protectively in front Adora. The male looked at Adora then at her with confusion clearly on his face. "Well,this is certainly not the greeting I expected."he said. Catra's jaw literally dropped as she heard the male speak.

"You...you can talk?"she heard Adora asked in surprise. "Yes I can speak. What did you think?"the male replied,greatly offended by that. Adora seemed to catch the tone in his voice. "I'm sorry,it's just...we've never seen another person like you before."she clarified. "What do you mean a person like me?"he asked curiously. Adora opened her mouth to reply when Catra interrupted her. "Who are you and why the hell are you here?"she demanded. The male looked at her for a moment before answering.

"My name is Storm,prince and future king of the Pantheras. As for why I am here,that is a long story that I don't particularly want to share with strangers." Catra looked at Storm suspiciously.

_He's with the princesses!_ Now that she thought of it,it made sense. The fact that she never saw him before,the attempted surprise attack and his prince title,though she didn't believe he was a prince. Not taking her eyes off the male,Catra spoke quietly to Adora. "Adora,we should take him to the Horde for questioning. He could be an ally and spy of the princesses." "I'm with you there."Adora agreed.

Catra narrowed her eyes at Storm. "Storm,we need you to come with us."she said. "Whatever for?"Storm asked her. "I don't particularly want to share that with a stranger."Catra replied with a sly grin on her face. _A sly female,this one_ Storm thought and couldn't help but laugh at that. "Touche. Very well then,lead the way."he said. Catra nodded. She produced a string of rope from the pocket in her pants then strolled over to Storm. "Hands behind your back."she ordered. Storm rolled his eyes,seemingly annoyed and regretting saying yes,but complied. Once he was securely tied up they all walked to the ship,Catra staying close to Storm while Adora lead the way.

* * *

The flight to the Horde was quiet,not uncomfortable by any means,but everyone had stuff on their minds.

Catra especially.

Her head was still wrapping around the idea that there was another cat-person in the world.

_Someone just like me._

Catra never told anyone,not even Adora,but she had always felt lonely knowing that she was the only cat-person in the Horde or even in Etheria. "You are the last of your kind,"Shadow Weaver had told her once when she was younger. "And good riddance too. Having one of you is already bad enough." _Jokes on you Shadow Weaver I'm not the last of my kind._ She couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she saw another cat-person.

T_hough if he works with the princesses that'll be nothing to boast about._ He didn't seem like the type that would work with the princesses but if Shadow Weaver taught them one thing well it was that looks can be deceiving. Ten minutes later,they made it back to the Horde. Two guards at the door greeted them as they got out of the ship. "Guards."Adora greeted formally. "Cadet Catra,Force Captain Adora."they greeted back. "Force Captain Shadow Weaver has been searching the entire Fright Zone looking for you Adora."

Catra rolled her eyes hearing that. _Of course she'd be searching for Adora but not me._ She looked over at Adora. She had her face expressionless but Catra could see the flare of anger that told her that Adora caught the meaning of what the guard had said though all she did was nod. "We are here so there's no reason for her to worry. Please get Shadow Weaver. We have someone she may be interested in seeing."she ordered. The guards nodded and quickly walked inside the Fright Zone. "So...this is your home?"Storm asked them. Catra turned to see him looking everywhere with a mixed expression of confusion and disgust that made Catra's anger flare instantly.

"Yeah prince boy,this is our home. Some people aren't able to live in a fancy palace or wherever you nobles live."Catra snapped. Storm looked at her,shocked by her instant anger,before he realised his mistake. "I am sorry Catra. I didn't mean to offend you."he said,forcing sincerity into his apology. He knew that if he wanted to get Catra as his mate,then he'll have to become more polite and appealing to her.

"I'm sure you are."Catra replied dryly. The other creature sighed before turning to him. "I appreciate your apology Storm as does Catra."the creature named Adora said while pointedly glaring at Catra. "She has a funny way of showing her appreciation."Storm commented. Catra whirled her head at Storm and hissed angrily. "She does,"Adora agreed. "But once you get to know her better,she's really just a softie." "Call me a softie again Adora and I swear I'll claw out your eyes."Catra threatened with a low growl.

"Is that a challenge Catra?"Adora asked,a gleam appearing in her eyes. Catra couldn't help but smile deviously. "Yes that was a challenge Adora."she replied as she brought her face inches from Adora's and brandished her claws. Even from where Storm was,he could see that the two were like two storm clouds about to collide,eyes alight with electricity. It reminded him of his friendship with Lightning of how he and him would always challenge one another. "Do you two think that fighting in front of your prisoner is a smart idea?"he asked them with a small chuckle.

It seemed that him speaking broke whatever staring contest they had as Adora quickly turned away from Catra,face red,while Catra looked at him with narrowed eyes. She opened her mouth to tell him something when someone said,"Where have you two been and why is there a Horde battleship behind you?"

He looked ahead to see some other creature.

It was tall with a red and dark maroon dress with bits of pink,long,black hair that was flowing behind her like a sinister shadow,gray sickeningly thin and pointed fingers and a red mask over her face. All it took was one look at the creature and Storm instantly disliked it.

"I took one so I could train myself on how to drive it and Catra tried to stop me but I didn't listen so she came with me."Adora said looking dead into Shadow Weaver's face. _So not true_ Catra thought to herself. Adora just lied straight to Shadow Weaver's masked face and didn't even flinch or waver. _I guess I should start giving her more credit._ It made her feel inexplicably touched that Adora would risk lying to Shadow Weaver just to protect her. The thought was enough to make Catra nearly purr before their mentor. Shadow Weaver looked closely at Adora,searching to see any lies behind her words,but found none.

"Well,I'm glad you're taking the initiative to learn something new. Though next time do ask first."she said sternly. Adora nodded,breathing a small breath of relief. Only then did Shadow Weaver look in his direction.

Her eyes narrowed as she asked coldly,"Who is this?" Adora turned to the prisoner. "He was in the Whispering Woods and tried to attack us by surprise. He would've been able to if Catra didn't detect him first."she said,side glancing at Catra with a small smile who smiled back. Shadow Weaver glanced at Catra for a long moment,watching her closely,before she nodded curtly.

"Well done cadet."she said dryly. Catra could practically hear pain in Shadow Weaver's voice at having to congratulate her,or say anything good to her really,and that was enough to make Catra smirk. "It was nothing I couldn't handle."she said smugly. She knew that she was pressing her luck but at the moment she couldn't care.

Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes at Catra but said nothing. She turned her attention back to Storm and regarded him for a long moment before she spoke. "You will follow me to our leader. Cadets,head to your dorms."she ordered. The two cadets nodded,knowing that they shouldn't push their luck any further,and walked off into the Fright Zone.

Catra turned her head back to Storm as she regarded him with curiosity. He must've noticed she was watching him since he turned his head to her and gave her a smile,fangs appearing over his bottom lip. She forced her face to look annoyed then turned away as she walked off.

* * *

_This place looks more of a prison than a home_ Storm thought to himself as he and the creature,Shadow Weaver,walked into the building.

It was dark,so dark that if he didn't have the ability to see in the dark he would have certainly tripped a couple of times,gave off an eerie sort of feeling to it and so quiet that he could hear the thump of his own footsteps. Nothing about the place seemed inviting or warm in the slightest. _How in the world can anyone live here_ he thought to himself. Once he got that female as his mate the very first thing he would do would be taking her away from this place. He decided that it was time to get some information about the female. Since he was a prisoner however he knew that he couldn't speak without his captor's permission.

_I have to get a sense of this creature._

"Excuse me ma'am?"he said. "Silence prisoner!"Shadow Weaver ordered. "You have no right to speak!" _Well,she's certainly not the easily persuaded type_ he told himself. _Gonna need a new approach._ He flattened his ears against his head and hissed. "Is this the way you treat your guests?"he asked. She whirled around and shoved her face right in front of his. "You better watch your tongue,you insolent fool. You should know not to test people for are superior to you. I can do things to you that will leave you begging for mercy."she said darkly.

_She dare threaten me!_ he thought in outrage. He wanted nothing more than to rip that mask off her face and tear her to shreds. _The nerve this creature has._ Nonetheless,the response she chose gave brought him closer to a read on her. Doing one final test,he lowered his head and forced his body to give off a meek demeanor. "You are right. I am truly sorry if I offended you."he said meekly. It disgusted him to do this but he knew it was necessary.

He glanced up to see the creature looking down at him closely. "I'm glad you learned your place."she said smugly and he had to force himself from growling at her. At least that display made me get a reading on her. She was definitely that arrogant,self-centered "I-have-the-powers-so-I'm-more-important-than-you" type of person. Luckily,he knew all too well how to deal with creatures similar to her.

He never got to ask about Catra as they continued walking down the dark,silent halls for a few moments before they made a turn and stopped before two doors. Shadow Weaver stepped towards the door and,without looking back,said,"Do not speak unless asked to." _You will not tell me what to do_ he wanted to say but he forced himself to say,"Yes ma'am."

She knocked twice on the door and they immediately slide open. She moved back and roughly pushed him forward. "Walk."she ordered. She lashed his tail but obeyed her. _Hopefully this other person is shot as obnoxious as Shadow Weaver_ Storm thought wistfully. "Lord Hordak?"he heard Shadow Weaver call. "What do you want now,Shadow Weaver?"a deep,low voice sounded. "Force Captain Adora found this...thing in Whispering Woods as he tried to attack her."Shadow Weaver said. Storm's pupils expanded as he tried to see the person in the darkness.

Upon a platform sitting on a throne was,Storm assumed,was Lord Hordak.

Hordak looked at him for a while then slowly got up from his throne. He was tall and muscular with white skinned,skull-like face,bat-like ears,blood red eyes and blue hair combed back. He was wearing some grey armor that had a red gem inside the arm braces,black clothing that had two wings on the front of it and a large red cape that also had a hood. His appearance alone was menacing and intimidating.

_ Even if I had never met this creature before,I would be able to tell he is of royalty_ Storm thought. Knowing how to properly greet someone of royalty he lowered his head respectfully. "Rise."he heard Lord Hordak say. He raised his head and saw the creature watched him closely. "Who are you and what is your name?"he asked Storm.

Storm straightened his body and lifted his head high before speaking. "My name is Storm and I am the prince and future king of the Pantheras."he said. "The Pantheras?"Lord Hordak said puzzled. "Who in Etheria are those?" Storm looked at the Hordak in shock. _How has he never heard of the Pantheras_ he thought to himself. "Lord Hordak,with all due respect,I think we should interrogate him to get information about the Rebellion."Shadow Weaver said.

Now Storm's confusion and curiosity was too much to keep quiet. "The Rebellion?"he asked confused. "Silence prisoner! You will speak when Lord Hordak permits you too."Shadow Weaver ordered. Storm ignored her as he looked straight at Hordak who was watching him with interest and confusion.

Finally,he lifted his head up and looked at Shadow Weaver. "Leave us Force Captain. I want to question the prisoner alone."he ordered with a small smile. Shadow Weaver nodded before turning and leaving them alone. As soon as she left the room,Hordak turned his intimidating gaze to him. "Do you work with the Rebellion?"he asked. "I do not know of this rebellion."Storm answered. "You better not be lying to me Storm."Hordak warned. "Lord Hordak,I am not even from this place. Everything here is foreign to me."Storm told him.

Hordak took a step closer towards him,probably trying to intimidating him,but he only stood up straighter in defiance. Storm knew that Hordak most likely didn't believe a word he was saying but he did nothing at the moment. After what seemed like forever, he said,"I believe you." Storm's eyes widened in shock. "What?"he asked dumbfounded. "I said I believe you."Hordak repeated. Storm could only watched him in shock. He didn't think Hordak would believe him that quickly let alone at all. _Then again,I have nothing to lie about_ he told himself.

He made his face neutral then spoke.

"That's good since I have nothing to hide. But what made you know I was telling you the truth?"he asked. "Well,the fact that you never heard of the Rebellion or of us,I'm guessing,is a clear sign. After all,I'm not from here either."Hordak told him. "You're not?"Storm asked. "No. I simply arrived here from a plane crash and well I decided to live here."Hordak explained.

Storm simply nodded taking in the information.

Hordak lowered his head towards him and narrowed his eyes. "My question is,why are you here if you've never heard of the Horde,the Rebellion or of this planet for that matter?" Storm opened his mouth to answer then hesitated. He didn't know Hordak well enough to say information that could be used against his race but he didn't want to lie encase Hordak found out and make a potential ally an enemy. After a few moments of thinking he just went with,"I am here to find a mate."

Hordak's face scrunched up in puzzlement so Storm tried explaining in a simpler way. "I am looking for a female to partner with." Realization seemed to finally click in as Storm saw the confusion on Hordak's face faded away. "Let me guess,you want Catra to be your...mate?" Storm nodded.

Hordak leaned away from Storm and looked at the doors rigid and quiet,seemingly lost in a trance. He stood like that for so long that Storm thought the completely forgot what they were talking about. At last,he looked back down at Storm. "I would like to give Catra to you as your mate but she is a valuable and skilled soldier to me. I need soldiers like her to win this war." Storm guessed his face was showing confusion because Hordak added,"My army is currently at war with the Rebellion. I'm afraid your arrival was at the worst time possible."

_I should've known that this was simply too easy_ Storm thought annoyed.

He,however,needed Catra to complete the prophecy and save his race. He couldn't let her slip from his grasp. Not when she was right here. "What if I help you with this war?"Storm said making sure not to sound too desperate. Hordak looked at him with neutral expression so he added,"I'll help you to win this war against the Rebellion in exchange to have Catra as my mate." Hordak stroked his chin in thought for a few long moments before speaking.

"Even if you help me with this war,you're only one person. What can you possible do that my whole army cannot?"he asked. "Well,for starters,only a few of your Horde soldiers know i'm here and no one from this Rebellion knows I'm here. I can use that to our advantage to gain some information from them."Storm explained. "But when they do find out you're working for us,what then?"Hordak pressed. "If that happens,you'll have enough information to know what they're planning and...I can see if I can bring my people to help with this war."Storm said.

Hordak's eyes flew open in surprise.

Storm was reluctant to put his already dying people in a situation like this but decided a few dead people would be worth if he could save the rest of his race. "So is it a deal?"he asked Hordak,extending his hand towards him. Hordak looked at Storm for a second then smiled and clasped his hand with Storm's. "It's a deal."he replied. They shook their hands firmly then let go of each other.

"Now,"Hordak said. "Why don't you tell me of your people and homeland?"

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry it took so long for me to upload this chapter but with school and the length of this chapter it took longer than usual. Nonetheless,hope you enjoy**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Adora and Catra entered their dorm to see Lonnie,Kyle and Rogelio sitting on their bunks. They rose their heads up and,upon seeing them,sat up in their bunks.

"Adora,Catra where were you guys?"Lonnie asked them as they entered the dorms. "Well long story short,Catra nearly crashed us into a tree inside the Whispering Woods and we met this other cat person there."Adora said. Catra turned around and smacked her on the arm. "You forgot to add the part where you stole the battleship and where you started going crazy."she said sharply. "Yeah,for you which,I repeat,you nearly drove us into a tree with."Adora retorted. "And for the record,I did see a sword!"

"I wouldn't have nearly drove us into a tree if you didn't keep trying to take back the stupid handle! And how could you see a sword but I didn't?"Catra retorted. "Hold on...did you say that you meet another cat person?"Kyle said. "Yeah so?"Catra snapped turning on him. "So?! We need details!"Lonnie said excitedly. Catra rolled her eyes and walked off to her bunk.

"Well he was tall,skinny,had black fur,golden eyes and red stripes. He looked basically like Catra,in a way."Adora described. "Oh so it was a guy huh."Lonnie said raising a brow. "Yeah."Adora replied. Lonnie turned her head to Catra. "So Catra do you have some feelings for this guy?"she asked mischievously as Rogelio laughed.

Catra narrowed her eyes at Lonnie then looked away.

"Did this guy give a name?"Kyle asked Adora. "Yes. He said his name was Storm."Adora answered. "Catra and Storm sitting in a tree,K-I-S-S-I-N-G."Lonnie teased as Rogelio and Kyle laughed and even Adora couldn't help but chuckle though her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. Catra turned her head back to them. "Yeah,his name is Storm and guess what else? He's also the "prince and future king of the Pantheras."she said,making air quotations with her fingers.

At that,everyone went into a tense silence.

"Wait...does that mean he's with the Rebellion?"Kyle asked finally breaking the silence. "We don't know that yet. Shadow Weaver took him to Hordak for questioning."Adora replied. Almost simultaneously,everyone shivered. Depending on who Storm was with then he would be in for an unpleasant surprise. "Well if he does work with the Rebellion then his and Catra's love will the "forbidden" type of love,"Lonnie said. "If he doesn't work for the Rebellion then Catra and him can be together,have little kit-"

"Ok Lonnie that's enough."Catra growled. Lonnie chuckled. "You still didn't answer if you like him or not."she pointed out. "I. Don't. Like. Him."Catra said slowly. "Sure."Lonnie drawled unconvinced. "Besides,"she added. "If this poor excuse of a place taught us anything it's that love is a weakness and a weapon that can be used against you." No one said anything and Adora knew she was right.

Shadow Weaver had told them repeatedly that falling in love was a weapon that could be used against you and a weakness. And if there was one thing the Horde hated it,was their soldiers showing weakness. Adora,personally,thought that falling in love actually made you stronger since your love for the person made you want to protect them with your very life.

A knock sounded on their dorm room door followed by the undoubtable voice of Shadow Weaver. "Cadets,get to sleep. You have training early tomorrow." "Yes Shadow Weaver."they all answered in unison.

They all went over to their assigned bunks.

"You know,you could've helped me from being attacked by them."Catra said as Adora climbed into the bed. "Oh dramatic much. They were only asking questions and teasing you. Besides,it was funny."Adora said with a smile. Catra huffed and turned away from her.

"Alright fine. If they bother you about Storm again I'll protect you."Adora chuckled as she reached over her legs and scratched Catra behind her ear. Catra purred,leaning into her touch. After a minute she pulled away and rested her head on her pillow. "Goodnight Catra."she said. "Goodnight Adora."Catra replied. Not too long after,Adora heard the soft,rhythmic purrs of the now asleep Catra and soon fell asleep to them.

* * *

Smoke filled the air as fire burned everything in its wake. People screamed and cried out prayers or for someone to save them.

Adora didn't know where she was or how she got here.

All she knew was that she needed to protect these people from harm.

"Mama,help!"the shrill cry of a scared boy sounded. She turned to the left to see a young child trapped underneath a big rock. Without hesitation,she ran over to the child,coughing and hacking as she breath in the smoke. Once she got to the boy,she knelt down in front of him. "Please help me."the boy whimpered while coughing.

"I'm going to help you. I'm going to push this rock up. While I push it up I want you to push your way out."she told him. He nodded. She placed her hands underneath the rock,counted to three silently in her head then heaved the rock up. It lifted easily off the boy as if she was lifting up a piece of paper. She looked at the rock,stunned,as the boy moved from underneath the rock. She then dropped the rock,panting slightly,as she looked at the boy. "Thank you,great protector."he said gratefully. "Great protector?"she asked puzzled. "My mom told me our great protector is tall and always glows."he told her.

She looked down at her and gasped.

She was taller,more muscular and glowing! before she question any of the things happening she heard a voice whisper,"Adora." She looked up to see a young woman looking directly at her. "Adora,your time has come."the woman said. Before her was the glowing sword that Adora had seen earlier in the Whispering Woods. "You must protect these people now."

* * *

Adora sat up with a start.

Breathing heavily and rapidly,she looked around the room frantically. When she saw nothing from her dream she relaxed her breathing to a normal tempo. _I need to find that sword otherwise I'm going to go insane_ Adora thought firmly.

She looked at Catra who was sleeping peacefully at her feet. Making sure she didn't wake Catra,she carefully maneuvered out of the bed,grabbed her jacket and silently walked the dorm. She looked to both sides,making sure no one was around,before taking a step into the hallway.

"Hey!"a voice whispered and Adora immediately froze.

Turning around,she saw Catra leaning against the dorm doors,glancing at the hallways while looking at her. "Where are you going?" "Back to the woods. There's something I need to figure out."Adora whispered back as Catra walked up to her. "Adora,for the last time there was no sword in the woods!"Catra said exasperated. "Catra,I know what I saw and I'm telling you I saw a sword!"Adora said,slightly frustrated that Catra didn't believe her.

"Are you sure you're not brain damaged?"Catra asked her,holding her face in her hands and examining her. "Look Catra,"Adora said as she removed Catra's hands from her face. "I need to find that sword otherwise I'm going to go insane." "You mean more insane than usual?"Catra asked with a small grin. Adora rolled her eyes but couldn't help but chuckle. She noticed Catra watching with slightly narrowed eyes for a moment then sighed.

"Well if you're going then I'm coming with you."she said. "Absolutely not."Adora said sternly then blinked,startled by the sternness in her voice.

Catra seemed surprised as well but quickly regained her neutral expression. "Sorry to disappoint you but you don't have a say in the matter."Catra replied. "Catra,you can't come with me."Adora said trying desperately to make Catra see reason. "You know Shadow Weaver will blame you for making me do this and will punish you."

"Adora,I know you're trying to protect me and I appreciate it. But you seemed to have forgotten that the Whispering Woods is princess territory. If you encounter them while trying to find this sword you'll need backup."Catra replied. Adora opened her mouth to say something to make her change her mind but ended up sighing. Catra was nothing if not stubborn and arguing with her never got anywhere.

"Fine. You can come. Just try to be quiet."Adora said as they quietly walked down the halls. "I think I should be the one telling you that."Catra retorted with a quiet laugh that made Adora smile every time.

* * *

"You know,I'm beginning to worry about how well you're stealing these battleships."Catra commented snidely.

"Borrowed!"Adora protested. "Whatever you say Adora."Catra replied rolling her eyes with a smile. Once they had stolen a battleship from the Horde once more,they drove out the Fright Zone back to the Whispering Woods. "If you keep bringing up the fact that I borrowed a battleship I'm going to bring up your horrible driving skills."Adora told her.

That wiped the smile off Catra's face as she slumped in her seat of the battleship. "That wasn't my fault."Catra mumbled annoyed. As they neared the Whispering Woods Adora maneuvered the battleship closer to the ground until she pushed her foot on the brake and it landed at the treeline. "Alright,do you remember the plan?"Adora asked Catra as they climbed out the battleship.

"Go into the woods,quickly find the sword then get out."Catra repeated annoyedly. "Yes. And no hunting."Adora told her. "To that,I make no promises."Catra said. Adora sighed,shaking her head,as she walked into the woods with Catra in tow. They had both agreed that Catra would take the rear since she was able to see in the dark,encase someone was following them,and had better hearing.

They slowly proceeded through the forest,making sure to look and listen for any unwanted visitors. "Adora,remind me again what we're looking for?"Catra asked her after about thirty minutes. "You know exactly what we're looking for Catra."Adora replied while pushing a bundle of vines out of her face. "Adora,you need to face it. We've been here for hours and we haven't found a single trace of a sword! There is no sword and you're going crazy!"Catra exclaimed angrily.

"I am not crazy Catra I know what I s-"Adora began to protest but caught the light blue glow of something in the corner of her eye.

Of something very familiar.

Please tell me this is the sword Adora pleaded silently as she jogged towards the light. "Woah! Adora wait up!"Catra called out,following her. Seconds later the vines,bushes and branches cleared out to reveal the sword. "What in Etheria…"Catra whispered in awe as she beheld the sight of the brightly glowing sword. "See! I told you I saw a sword!"Adora said with a smug smile. "Yeah,yeah whatever,"Catra said dismissively. "I can see why you wanted to find this sword."

Suddenly,her ears twitched.

She turned her head and looked around,tilting her head sideways and listening closely.

She heard the rustling of bushes and footsteps coming their direction!

"Adora,someone's coming!"Catra whispered urgently. "Get the sword and let's go!" Adora took a step towards the sword but it was too late and the sounds of the approaching people were on them. "Yes you say the light it's this way." "My tracker says otherwise." "It's this way!" Finally two people appeared from the bushes.

They looked at Catra and Adora and gasped.

Both Horde soldiers froze,keeping their eyes on the two people.

One of them was small and stocky,tanned with short pink hair that curled to the side and purple eyes. She was wearing some type of glittery cape with armored shoulder pads,light purple boots,blue fingerless gloves and light purple tunic. Adora could tell just by one glance that she was a princess. The other person was an average sized boy with dark skin broad and muscular,a hightop brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing one armored pad on his left shoulder with some shirt that was clearly too short for him,exposing his stomach,with a type of breastplate,long blue pants,golden forearm guard and was equipped with a bow and arrow.

It was without a doubt that the two were apart of the Rebellion.

No one on either side uttered a word as they stared the other down. "Horde soldiers!"the pink haired cried so abruptly that Adora nearly jumped out of her skin. "I see them"replied the boy loudly. "Ahh!"the pink haired girl yelled as the boy yelled,"Ah!" Adora and Catra glanced at each other,shrugged then ran towards the sword. They were a centimeter away from it when suddenly the pink haired girl appeared right in front of it,holding the hilt tightly. Adora went for the sword but she disappeared into thin air.

"Of course we have to fight a teleporting princess."Adora said in annoyance. "Tell me about it."Catra murmured. "Alright Catra you get the boy and I'll get the girl."Adora said. Catra nodded and they charged the two Rebels. The boy slung his bow from his back along with an arrow,placed it on his now and aimed it at Catra.

He released the string and the arrow zoomed towards her but Catra easily dodged it.

Once she was in striking distance,she leaped and kicked him. Her foot connected right with his chest and he doubled over. She brandished her claws and went to slash his face but he moved to the side,nocked another arrow in his bow and fire it at her. This time,the arrow caught the edge of her leg and she hissed. She forced herself to ignore the pain as she continued to kick,punch and slash at the boy.

She managed to scratch his arm and kicked him in his stomach hard enough that he fell to his knees. Sparing a moment,she looked from the boy to Adora and the pink haired girl. Despite fighting a princess who could teleport,Adora seemed to be holding it together though,unfortunately,the girl still had the sword in her possession. She turned and ran to assist Adora when she felt something wrap around her legs.

Unstable,she fell towards the ground heavily. She looked at her legs to see some rope wrapped around them and the boy standing up with his bow in his hand. Without a second glance at her,the boy ran over to Adora and the pink haired girl.

_Oh no you don't._

She roughly pulled her legs out of the rope,got up,took her aim then threw it at the boy's legs. The rope soared through the air and entwined itself around the boy's leg causing him to fall heavily on his stomach. She looked up to see Adora full on body the pink haired girl to the ground,making her dropped the sword. She turned to retrieve the sword but the boy got out of his ropes and jumped on top of her. Catra got up and ran towards them then grabbed the boy by the shoulders and tried to pull him off Adora but he held on.

All four of them pushed and pulled one another for a few seconds until,finally,Adora's fingers brushed the hilt of the sword. A bright glow enveloped and blinded them all.

* * *

Adora was sitting down in a bright and colorful place. She looked around noticing little glowing orbs floating around with crystals with some sort of design on them. "Catra? Catra,can you hear me?"he called out but no one answered.

She looked ahead and saw a holographic person standing,watching her. In fact,it was the same holographic woman she saw the first time she touched the sword. "Adora."she called. Startled,Adora quickly got to her feet. "Who are you? What's going on?"she asked panicked. "My name is Light Hope,"the holographic woman greeted.

"I have been waiting a long time for you. I could not reach you until you had forged your connection with the sword." "You sent the sword?"Adora asked. "The sword is meant for you."the woman said while she showed it before her. Adora slowly went to grab it but her hand went through it and she realised it was just a hologram. "Etheria has need of you Adora. Will you answer the sword's call? Will you fight for the honor of Grayskull."the woman asked as she watched Adora.

Adora looked up from the sword to Light Hope in confusion. "What are you talking about? What is a Grayskull? You-you're not making any sense! I don't understand!"Adora protested. _Maybe Catra was right_ she thought. _Maybe I am brain damaged._ Light Hope looked at her for a moment in silence then simply said,"You will." Her body began to fade away.

"Wait!"Adora called but Light Hope disappeared leaving her alone in utter darkness.

* * *

"Let go of me!"Catra hissed. After the light had blinded her,one of the Rebellion soldiers had pinned her to the ground and managed to tie her hands. She pulled against her restraints but they were too tight. "Silence prisoner!"the pink haired girl ordered,trying to sound intimidating. Catra rolled her eyes at the display.

Honestly,she could see Kyle being more intimidating than this girl and that was saying something.

"Hey Glimmer,"the boy called. "I think this one is out cold." Catra turned her head to see Adora unconscious in the boy's arms. Her worry immediately turned to anger. "What did you do to her?"she growled. The girl,Glimmer,ignored her as she walked over to Adora and looked at her. "She's just unconscious."Glimmer said. Catra opened her mouth to say something when she noticed Adora move slightly in the boy's arms. "Catra?"she whispered groggily.

Catra let out a breath of relief. "Silence prisoner!"Glimmer ordered. She picked up the sword from the ground and examined it for a moment. "Come on Bow. Let's get these spies back to Bright Moon where they can be interrogated properly." "Actually Glimmer,I need to speak with you for a moment in private."the boy,Bow,said to Glimmer. "For what?"Glimmer said irritated. Bow simply waved her over.

She sighed but walked over to Bow. Once they went off,Catra went to Adora. "Hey are you ok?"she asked her. "Yeah,i'm fine."Adora said. She looked over at Glimmer and frowned. "I'll be better though once we get that sword." "As much as I hate to say this Adora,Sparkles over there can teleport. We need to outsmart her if we're going to get that sword."Catra said.

She then rolled her eyes. "Even though I still don't know why you want that sword so badly." _Neither do I_ Adora thought but she didn't need Catra to know that. "Come on. We need to think of a plan to get the sword."she told Catra.

Unfortunately,they never got to think of one as Glimmer and Bow came back.

"On your feet!"she ordered. Adora rolled her eyes but complied as she struggled to her feet while Catra didn't move a single muscle. "I said on your feet Horde soldier!"Glimmer repeated. Catra looked at Glimmer for a moment with a bored expression then turned away. Adora shook her head but smiled in amusement as she saw Catra getting the princess angrier by the second.

"Are you deaf or something? I said on your feet!"Glimmer practically yelled. Adora bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. She looked at Bow and saw that he was on the brink of laughing as well despite trying to keep a straight face. Catra looked back up at Glimmer. "Aren't you going to say please?"she asked in a purr. "Wh-what?"Glimmer stammered,face contorting into confusion.

"Aren't you going to say please. Considering you're a princess you should have a bit of manners."Catra said innocently as she smiled. Glimmer balled her hands into fists and,for a split second,Adora thought that Glimmer was going to punch her. After a moment,Glimmer sighed heavily. "Can you please get on your feet."Glimmer nearly growled out. "That's better,"Catra said. "And yes,i'll get on my feet...but you'll have to help me up."

Adora couldn't do it anymore and burst out laughing. Glimmer threw her hands up in the air then marched over to Catra,grabbed her arm and yanked her up. "Hey! Easy on the arms Sparkles!"Catra exclaimed annoyedly. Glimmer mumbled something under her breath then pushed Catra over to Bow. "Come on. We're already late. Bow keep an eye on them."Glimmer told him. Bow nodded then they began walking towards Bright Moon.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Are you sure you know where we're going Glimmer?"Bow asked. "I know what I'm doing Bow."Glimmer replied,not looking from the device in her hands.

"Are you sure about that,princess?"Catra muttered annoyedly. They had been in the Whispering Woods for a long amount of time and they had not seen anything other than trees,vines and bushes and Adora was starting to suspect that they were lost.

"Silence horde soldier!"Glimmer ordered. Catra rolled her eyes but,surprisingly,obeyed and they continued walking in silence. As she walked,Adora looked over at the boy,Bow,in confusion and interest. It was pretty obvious that he was not a princess but most likely an ally of the princesses.

_ Maybe I can get him to fight with us_ Adora thought.

After all,from what she saw when he and Catra fought,he seemed like a well trained soldier. "Hang on. I'm getting readings on this thing."Glimmer said while she stared at the device in her hand. She then took a few steps forward from them and looked ahead. "You know she's a princess right,"Adora said Bow,seeing it was the perfect opportunity.

"How can you follow her? Princesses are a dangerous threat to everyone on Etheria." "Is that what Hordak told you guys?"Bow asked,looking at them with an expression close to pity. "I thought it was common knowledge to everyone."Catra said snarkily. "They're violent instigators who don't even know how to control their powers."

Almost on cue,they heard Glimmer yell in anger.

"You two have never actually met a princess,have you?"Bow asked them. Catra and Adora glanced at each other. "Well...not in person. But that doesn't change the fact that princesses are dangerous. "Adora stated. "And we're trying to protect people from them."Catra added. "Oh yeah?"someone said.

They turned to see Glimmer looking at them with the device in one hand and something else in her other hand. She walked over to them and glared hatefully at each of them. Glimmer took Adora and Catra's hand in hers and dragged them over to some part of the woods.

There were parts of old Horde bots that were either beaten in battle or malfunctioned rusting away. Some trees and plants were black and wilted as if they hadn't had water in a while. "You two are heartless destroyers. Just like the rest of your people!"she said to them.

Catra hissed angrily as Adora took a step towards Glimmer. "We are not destroyers. Hordak says we're trying to make things better,more orderly."Adora retorted. Glimmer's face went blank for a second before it twisted in rage. "This is what's best for Etheria?!"she yelled angrily,pointing to the damage around them.

"Ever since the Horde got here they've been poisoning our land,burning our cities and destroying everything in their path! And you two are apart of it. How's that for orderly?" "No...that's a lie! You're lying. The Horde would never do something like that."Adora protested fiercely. Glimmer looked at them for a moment then threw her arms up in frustration. "I need to go cool down. Bow watch them for a moment."she said before she teleported away.

"How do you not know any of this? I mean,your army is called the evil Horde."Bow stated. "Who calls us that?"Catra demanded. Bow stared at her blankly. "Everybody!"he exclaimed. "Seriously?"Catra asked surprised. "Yes!"Bow replied. "As a matter of fact,why do you two even work with the Horde?"he asked. Adora and Catra glanced at each other for a moment before Adora spoke.

"The Horde rescued me when I was a baby and gave me a home."she explained. Bow looked over at Catra with a questioning look. Catra shrugged. "The Horde also found me when I was little and took me in."she said casually. "That's besides the point. They're our family and you don't know them like we do."Adora said fiercely.

"Maybe you don't know them like you think you do."Bow replied calmly.

Suddenly,a yell sounded from the forest before Glimmer teleported with the sword in her hand.

"There's something out there. Something big!"Glimmer exclaimed. "How big?"Bow asked. Glimmer went to respond when,abruptly,the ground started to shake,knocking every single one of them off their feet,while a loud rumble sounded. "Does anyone else hear that rumbling?"Catra asked. All of them turned to the direction of where Glimmer appeared from.

The ground broke and cracked before a giant insect thing shot out from the ground. It was dark gray with blue symbols running on its body,six long,sharp legs,a large horn on its head with more than a dozen light blue eyes.

"Oh. So pretty big thing."Bow said. "I swear to Etheria you rebels are bad luck!"Catra exclaimed. The insect let out a shrill scream then walked rapidly over to Glimmer. It stopped in front of her,raised one of its legs and tried to slam it down on Glimmer but she teleported away just in time,leaving the sword in the spot where she had just been,and teleported onto a tree branch at eye level of the insect.

She then jumped off the branch onto the insect's face and placed her hands on its two front eyes. A bright,light pink glow emitted from her hands and blinded the insect. It let out a shrill scream once again and Glimmer jumped off its face. "Bow,spread out and attack it from its side!"Glimmer ordered.

Bow nodded and ran to the insect's side. Both Adora and Catra took this as their cue and backed away from the fight. The insect went to turn its attention to Bow but Glimmer made a ball of sparkle and threw at the insect. "Over here,you overgrown bug!"she cried. The insect roared then charged over to her. "Argh!"Glimmer yelled as she threw sparkle ball after sparkle ball at the insect.

The attacks did nothing more than irritate the insect as it quickly got to her and,in one quick,powerful motion,used its front leg and hit Glimmer in her side. She flew off her feet and her back slammed against a nearby tree then fell down.

"Did you really think your sparkles would have hurt it?"Catra called out to Glimmer. The insect ran over to the wounded princess and went to deliver the final blow when an arrow flew over turning into a rope midway and latched itself onto the insect's horn,stopping it in its tracks. The insect roared loudly and shook its head while pulling against the rope. Bow grabbed his bow with both his hands and pulled,managing to effectively stop the insect.

"How has the Horde not recruited this guy?"Catra asked. "Don't know,"Adora replied. "But now's our chance to get the sword!" They got up and walked over to the sword while glancing back at Bow and the insect. He was still managing to keep the insect away from Glimmer but then the insect roughly threw its head forward and,unprepared,Bow flew off his feet over the insect and landed heavily onto Glimmer.

Adora winced slightly as Catra muttered,"Ouch." before she picked up the sword. "Alright we got it. Now let's go."Catra told her as she walked ahead. Adora turned around to walk off when she heard Glimmer scream and turned back around.

The insect was slowly approaching them intending to finish what it started.

Glimmer rapidly threw sparkle balls at it but it was useless.

Catra realised that Adora wasn't beside her and turned around to see her standing still,looking at the two Rebellion soldiers. "Adora,what are you doing? Let's go before that thing attacks us."she said. Adora looked back at the sword in her hands which now was rippling slightly with pale blue electricity. She felt as though she needed to help them,despite them being her enemies.

She turned her attention back to them and yelled,"Hey bug brain!" The insect stopped going to Glimmer and Bow and turned to her. "Adora what are you doing!"Catra exclaimed. Adora ignored her as she looked at the bug and pointed the sword at it. "Come on magic sword."she said.

Nothing happened.

"Oh come on. Where's a blinding flash of light when you need one?"Adora groaned. "Adora watch out!"Catra cried.

Adora looked up to see the insect practically on her and brought its front leg down to her. She raised her sword above her head and managed to stop the insect from squishing her in the nick of time.

Suddenly,a familiar bright,blue light erupted from the sword and images flashed in her mind. The gem within the sword glowing,a planet that Adora guessed was Etheria,a glowing palace,a desert area being sturcked by a meteorite,a castle surrounded by ice,a large swirling black hole and,finally,the silhouette of a tall,muscular person. "Adora,"the voice of Light Hope called to her. "Will you fight for the honor of Grayskull?"

A look of determination crossed Adora's face as she yelled,"For the honor of Grayskull!" The blue light of the sword enveloped her,blinding everyone,then disappeared just as quickly. Once the light dimmed,everyone looked at Adora in shock. Even the bug itself seemed to calm down as it gazed upon Adora. In the spot where Adora once stood was a eight-foot tall,glowing,muscular person with long,golden flowing hair,a white top with golden designs,two gold arm bracers,a gold tiara with a gem inserted in it and a red cape.

* * *

**Author's note: I know I took a long time to post this chapter. Unfortunately,until I find the time and motivation,this will be the last chapter I post of this story. I want to thank all you followers and readers who read my story and I promise that I'll continuing this story in the future. But for now it will be on hold as I write my other stories.**


	7. Announcement

**Announcement**

**Hello everyone. I hope you all are staying safe and well during this whole pandemic. Those who have been reading this story know I had said that this story would be on hold until I got more motivation. **

**Well,thank the trailer that dropped for Season 5 because I am now continuing the story! With that news out of the way there are few things I would like to address. **

**Firstly,after I re-read the story I realised that most of the time when I was trying to write in one character's P.O.V it looked like I was trying to write in someone else's P.O.V so I'll try to fix that. Secondly,since I am working on four other stories at the moment updates will be slow though that does not mean if I don't post a chapter in a while I am stopping the story. If I do stop the story you guys will know. **

**Lastly,before you all ask,I don't know when the next chapter will be posted. I had wanted to post it on May 15 when the first episode of season 5 will be out or a day after but since I'm currently refreshing my mind with the story and planning out the story,that'll probably be unlikely. With that all said,I hope you all stay well and safe****.**

** FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL!**


	8. Feline races

**Since I'll be introducing Storm's people and the other feline races in the story,I decided to put a glossary of the main characters of each race and their runestone effects. Also the names of all the races,except for the Magicats,are their scientific names. Like the lions scientific name is Panthera Leo. **

* * *

The feline races

Leos

-Aslan,their king

-Karai,his daughter

-Leo,his son

-Silver,second-in-command

-Spots,commander of Aslan's army

-Claw,Aslan's friend and captain of the guards

-Ahadi,an elderly healer

The Leos are the most ancient of the feline races tracing their origins back to the Great Clans. They are brave,respectful,wise,determined,prideful and loyal to those who prove an ally or friend. They are skilled in battle but often prefer peace. In ancient times,they were often referred to as the 'king of the felines'

* * *

Tigris

-Khan,the king

-Varya,the queen

-Fury,the prince

-Shiba,the princess

-Jasmine,the princess

-Crystal,second-in-command

-Stripe,commander of Khan's army

-Rock,captain of the guards

-Pounce,healer

-Tabos,an elder/advisor

The Tigris' are the second oldest of the feline races,their origins trace back centuries after the Great Clans. They are known for their fiery passion,daringness and fearlessness making them respected by both friends and foes alike. However they are impulsive and vivacious which makes them have little regard for rules and regulations. They are also very unpredictable going from angry to calm in a blink of an eye!

* * *

Pardus

-Snow,the queen

-Skye,Shows best friend and second-in-command

-Rage,commander of her army

-Iris,healer

-Amber,counselor

-Nors,captain of the guards

-Badhili,an elder

Pardus' are the newest of the feline races. They are tactful and skilled warriors. However,they often use their strength to force their dominance on others,making them unliked by the other races. In addition,they are very cunning and unreliable to both friend and foe.

* * *

Magicats

-Clawdia,the queen

-Flame,second-in-command

-Maya,commander of her army

-Delta,elder/advisor

-Neon,healer

-Cal,inventor

The Magicats were the strongest of feline races in combat and were the first to learn how to use magic. They were respected by all the races due to their determination,loyalty to friends and allies,ferocity,resilience,devotion and sense of responsibility. However they have been known to be extremely stubborn to the point where most know that getting into an argument with them is a waste of time.

* * *

Pantheras

-Nightshade,the king

-Kara,the queen and daughter of Aslan

-Lightning,Storm's best friend and commander of his 'Speed Crew'

-Striker,commander of the 'Attack Force'

-Dawn,commander of the 'Tank Squad'

-Blitze,an elder/advisor

-Bones,captain of the guards

-Trout,healer

The Pantheras are the descendants of the Magicats and a close realitive of the Pardus. They were the second strongest of the feline races but rose to number one when the Magicats disappeared. The Pantheras are extremely skilled warriors in battle and very intelligent. Unfortunately they are only loyal to their race and loved ones and will do anything no matter the price to protect their own.

* * *

Runestone effects and power-ups

Magicats: It boosts their magic power

Tigris: Increases their strength

Leos: Increases their speed

Pardus: Increases their leaping abilities

Pantheras: Increases their stealth


	9. Chapter 7 part 1

Chapter 7

part 1

A surge of power filled Adora as if she suddenly got a power up or something.

She felt bigger,better.

Stronger.

She stared at the enormous insect before her,no longer feeling afraid of it. The insect seemed to calm down and simply sit before her like it was waiting for her to do something. She looked over at the two Rebellion soldiers and saw them staring at her with an odd expression. _What happened to them_ she thought. She turned her head to look at Catra to see her having the same odd expression as the Rebellion soldiers. _Ok,what is going on with everyone?_

She looked down at herself. She was much taller,like she had just gotten a huge growth spurt,her body was somehow emitting a golden glow and her hair had grown longer.

Those weren't the worst things though.

The worst thing was her clothes.

She was wearing a short,red skirt and a white shirt with a gold pattern on it and a tiara. She yelped,startled,and took a step back too fast and fell on her back. _What...just happened to me_ she thought. She looked down at the sword that was flashing dimly in her hands. _What type of sword is this?_

A flash of light shone as Glimmer appeared before her and grabbed onto the sword,pulling it to get it out of Adora's grasp but she tightened her grip and pulled the sword back to her. "What did you do to me?"Adora asked her angrily. "What do you mean what did I do to you?"Glimmer replied. "I didn't know being a princess was contagious!"Adora snapped as she pulled the sword back to her again.

Suddenly,Bow was between them,grabbing the sword. "How did you do that?"he asked her. "I didn't do anything!"Adora replied. "All I did was pick up the sword then whoosh I'm in a tiara!" "Who cares how she did it?!"Glimmer retorted. "Me,for one since I don't need her becoming like you princesses!"Catra snapped as she appeared behind Adora and grabbed the sword and helped Adora pull it from their grasp. "Well I'm going to make sure she never does it again!"Glimmer yelled and with one,final pull,yanked the sword out of all their grip's.

Just then the bug let out a loud roar and charged towards them.

Bow instantly took the sword from Glimmer and shoved it into Adora's hands. "Do it again! Do it again!" "Forget about the sword,"Glimmer shouted. "Run!" All of them ran from the chasing bug. "Does everything with you rebellion soldiers go wrong somehow?"Catra yelled. "Honestly,it's more of a fifty-fifty chance."Bow replied. Suddenly,they came into a large,bright colored door with some sort of inscriptions on it. "What is this place?"Adora asked. "Great,now we're trapped!"Catra screamed. "No we're not!"Bow said just as he ran towards the door and bashed into it with his shoulder.

A pained groan sounded from him as he backed away from the door. "Ok we might be trapped."he said. "Hang on,I might be able teleport us all in there."Glimmer said. "No. You have never teleported three people before."Bow told her. "Do you have a better idea?"she asked him. The footsteps of the bug got louder and louder the closer it got to them. "Wait,"Adora said as she studied the door. "It says that you must say the password to enter." "You can read that?"Bow asked in shock. "You can't?"Adora replied,confused that they couldn't read it.

A roar sounded once more but this time,it sounded much closer.

They all turned to see the bug within the stone tunnel,squirming and thrashing as it tried to get through. "Well what does it say?"Catra asked her. "Uh..Eternia!"Adora shouted. Almost immediately,the writing on the door began to glow and it opened to show a dark inside. "Oh come on!"Glimmer yelled in annoyance. The bug roared as with one,last burst of strength pushed through the rock tunnel. "Get inside!"Bow yelled as they all ran inside and the door instantly closed behind them. Darkness surrounded them before a small ball of bright light appeared above Glimmer's hand who was watching them with narrowed eyes. "I want to know exactly what's going on here." "I told you I don't know,"Adora replied,shielding her eyes from the bright light.

"I just said the word on the door." Glimmer scoffed. "Right. You've just read a word in a language that no one's spoken in a thousand years and the door just opened into a mysterious,ancient ruin. Yeah,sure." "You think I did this on purpose?"Adora said angrily as she got up in front of Glimmer. "You think I wanted to be a princess?" She took a step closer to her as she said,"Princesses are monsters!" A look of pure outrage crossed Glimmer's face. "Monsters?! I just showed you both what the Horde has been doing and you still think we're the monsters!" "Yes we do,"Catra said,standing beside Adora. "Also,for the record,she just saved you from being crushed by that impossibly huge bug so get on our bad side."

"You both have some nerve calling us monsters!"Glimmer retorted. "Woah,woah,"Bow said,standing between the three of them. "Let's all just calm down." Glimmer groaned,looking between wanting to punch them and desperately holding herself back,before calming down and turning to Bow. "We need to find another way out of here and get them to Bright Moon as soon as possible. My mother will know what to do with them."Glimmer said as she turned and walked away.

Once she was off,Bow turned to them. "Hey so...thanks for saving us from that bug."he said. "Yeah,well I didn't save you."Catra said,crossing her arms over her chest. "And I only wanted to get the sword."Adora added. "Are you sure it's not because you guys secretly like us?"he asked them teasingly. Catra's eyes narrowed but she only turned and walked away. "We don't like you. You're our captors."Adora told him before she turned and walked off. "Sure."Bow said as he fell into step with them. "Still thanks for saving us." They all continued walking into the ruin in complete silence,except for their echoing footsteps. Eventually Glimmer stopped walking and turned to them. "This seems to be a dead end." "Do you see anything in here?"he asked her. "It's still too dark for me to see much but it seems to be something of the First Ones."Glimmer replied.

"First Ones?"Catra said in confusion. "You've never heard of the First Ones?"Glimmer said,condescendingly as she continued walking. Catra let out a growl. "The First Ones are the original settlers of Etheria."Bow explained to them. "Ok,I'm going to brighten this place a little bit. Bow,hold the sword for a moment."Glimmer said as she gave him the sword. "Everyone stand back."she warned them as she moved the ball of sparkles in between her hands. "Easy Glimmer,"Bow warned. "We're a long way from Bright Moon and we don't know when you'll get to recharge your powers." "Bow!"Glimmer exclaimed. "You have to recharge your powers?"Adora said sassily while Catra sniggered.

"Can we not talk about our weaknesses in front of the Horde soldiers!"she told Bow,ignoring Adora and Catra. "Sorry."Bow said apologetically as he went to stand beside Adora and Catra. Rolling her eyes,Glimmer took a deep breath as she concentrated on her powers before throwing her arms high into the air. The sparkle ball shot up to the top of the ruin then grew larger as light immediately filled the place. Glimmer's body sagged and Bow instantly went to her side. "Hey,you ok?" "I'm fine Bow."Glimmer said. "Woah."Adora whispered in awe and turned to see Catra looking at what she was staring at in shock and amazement. She saw Glimmer and Bow look at them before turning their heads and gasped.

Before them was a colorful glass picture of a woman holding a large sword in front of her. _Like the one in my dreams_ Adora realised with a jolt. _Could the sword and this ruin be connected?_

"Hey,look here!"Glimmer called to them,breaking Adora from her train of thought,as she stood before a tomb-like stone with the same looking inscriptions as the ones on the door. "Hey,"Bow said,turning to Adora. "You can read that inscription. What's it say?" She took a step closer to the stone and narrowed her eyes as she looked at the inscription. "It says...She-ra."Adora said. Instantly,the inscription began to glow and a pink holographic lady appeared. "Ah!"they all shouted in surprise. "Hello. What is your query?"the holographic woman asked them. Bow was the first to recover from the shock. "Oh...uh hello. Can you tell us how to get out of here?"he asked politely. The hologram didn't answer.

"For the love of Hordak,doesn't he know it's not a real person?"Catra mumbled under her breath and Adora bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "How do we get out of here?"Bow repeated in a much louder tone. "What is your query?"the hologram asked again. "Well,she's broken."Bow said,stepping back. "She's old,"Glimmer corrected as she took a step closer to observe the hologram. "I'm surprised any of this stuff works at all."she added while placing her hand through the hologram. Suddenly,the holographic woman turned red. "Administrator not detected. Lockdown initiated." The entire room began to turn red and the doors quickly closed around them one by one before the last door got jammed then,from the pressure,broke apart following by the entire building beginning to break apart.

"Oh come on! Great job Sparkles."Catra yelled in annoyance. "I didn't do it!"Glimmer retorted. "No lockdown! No lockdown!"Bow said panicky to the hologram. "Query not recognised." "You've got to get it to stop!"Bow said urgently to Adora. "What makes you think I can?"Adora asked in confusion. "There's got to be a password or something!"Bow yelled. "There's no time for that!"Glimmer yelled. In a swift motion,she grabbed Bow,Adora and Catra and pulled them close to her. "Just hang on!" "Glimmer no!"Bow warned but it was too late as they disappeared from within the temple and reappeared into the sky.

"Ah!"they screamed in terror as the ground was rapidly approaching towards them. "Glimmer!"Bow shouted,trying to shake her awake but she stayed unconscious. "Someone do something!"Catra yelled. Bow grabbed an arrow from his bag,placed it into his bow then shot it towards the ground. The arrow shot through the trees before transforming into a large net just seconds before they landed heavily onto it. "Oh,my rib is going to be so sore after today."Catra groaned. "At least we're not dead."Adora said though she as well knew her body would be feeling the pain soon enough.

Slowly,they all got off the net while Bow gently placed the unconscious Glimmer on the ground. "Will she be ok?"Adora asked Bow,a wave of concern hitting her as she looked at the princess. "Yeah. She'll just be a bit exhausted."Bow said,not taking his gaze off of Glimmer. Adora nodded. Soon after,Glimmer finally began to stir awake. "Did it work?"she croaked out as she slowly turned onto her stomach. "Yeah,it worked. Barely."Bow replied. "Are you alright?" "I'm fine."she said. She tried to get up but let out a pained groan as she fell back down. "I think I used too much power getting us out of there." "I wonder who would have predicted that,"Bow said while helping Glimmer up. "Oh wait,it was me." "Bow."Glimmer said. "About an hour ago too."he added smugly. "Bow!"Glimmer exclaimed. "Sorry. I'm just glad you're ok."Bow said softly. "No more teleporting for a while. You could really hurt yourself."

"I'm fine."Glimmer said firmly. "Clearly don't look fine."Catra replied sassily. Glimmer shot her a glare. "Stick with us?"Bow asked,extending his hands towards them. Adora and Catra side glanced at each other,both of them seemingly coming to an agreement. "We should be a hundred few miles from here,"Glimmer said as she walked past them. "We'll be able to reach Bright Moon soon. We've already wasted too much time."she added with a pointed glare at her and Catra before walking ahead. Bow gave them an apologetic look as he hurried to follow Glimmer as her and Catra follow suited.

* * *

**Author's note: And this is Chapter 7 part 1! I feel guilty about taking a while to post this chapter but,as I said,I had to re-edit how the entire story was gonna go and I'm working on three other stories. However,since I have a good portion of the story edited,chapters shouldn't take too long to be posted though I make no promises. So I hope you all enjoy and leave a review.**


	10. Update

**Update**

**Hello everyone. As most of you probably already know,I haven't posted a chapter in a while. The reason for that is because recently my email password for the account I was originally writing this story on had been changed,therefore kicking me out my account and making me unable to sign in. The good news is that I have made another account so I will be able to continue this story still. Updates will be slow as I try to deal with this issue. I hope you all understand and stay safe.**


	11. Chapter 8 part 2

Chapter 8

Part 2

He couldn't understand how someone could live in this place known as the Fright Zone.

It had such a dark and dreary atmosphere that he almost regretted staying here. His tail twitched anxiously as he walked down the hallway.

_Hordak said to go down the hallway,take a left turn then head into the first room to my right._

He took a left turn and continued walking straight until he reached the room to the right and went inside. The room was rather large with a big bed in the center,a desk at the wall on the right and a small nightstand with a lamp on it. He sat down on the bed and sighed heavily,closing his eyes as he processed everything. _I did it. I found the one who will save my people. Now I simply have to find a way to get her as my mate._

It would be both considerably easy and difficult since while Catra was in the same place as him,the small encounter he had with her was enough for him to get a small understanding of her and knew that it would take some time to get her as his mate. Before he got into any planning,he needed to contact his father. He raised his hands to his headpiece,removing it from his head and turning it around so the gem in the star piece was facing away from him and said,"Nightshade." The gem began to glow then light rays shot from it as a hologram of his father appeared before him.

"Father."he greeted politely. "Storm,"Nightshade said. "I assume by you contacting me that you've reached the destination?" "I have and I have news,"Storm said. "I have found the female that the prophecy spoke of."

A pause of silence followed afterward.

"So the prophecy is true."he said softly,more to himself than Storm,before adding louder,"Do you know what race she is apart of?"he asked. Storm shook his head. "She does not look like anyone from Fedalius." Nightshade stayed silent in thought for a moment before looking back at him. "Tell me more about this place."he said. So Storm did a quick summary of the place,his encounter with Catra,the war between the Horde and the Rebellion and his deal with Hordak. "You know we are not in the state to join in a war,"Nightshade told him. "Not with our people already in a bad state." "I know that father. Which is why I'm stalling as long as I can. However,if I am to fulfill the prophecy and obtain Catra,I'll need to keep my end of the deal."Storm said.

Nightshade sighed.

"Very well. I'll start separating the sick and healthy and prepare the troops for battle." "Good. I'll report to you if I have any more news."Storm told him. Nightshade nodded then the hologram disappeared. Storm put his headpiece back on his head and rubbed his temples.

_ Nothing is ever easy for me_ he thought to himself.

"Storm." He whirled around to see the woman,Shadow Weaver,standing in front of the door. "Yes?"he replied not in the mood to deal with her. "Walk with me."she said as she turned and left. Storm sighed as he got up and went to her,fast enough to not irritate her but not too fast to tell her that he wouldn't be ordered around like some child. "Hordak told me that you are with us."she said as they walked down the hall. "Yes I am."he replied simply. "Hordak also said that your involvement with the Horde must be kept a secret."Shadow Weaver continued."Is there a reason for that?" "As much as I would like to tell you the reason,Lord Hordak told me to not tell anyone and I won't."Storm told her.

He felt a small bit of satisfaction at seeing Shadow Weaver narrow her eyes in annoyance but she didn't push the matter as they entered into a room. The first thing he noticed was the large,opposing dark reddish crystal in the center of the room. It gave off a dull red glow and he felt like it was pulling him towards it. "Since you're going to be with us,I suppose we should make you useful to us."she said.

Storm twitched his tail in annoyance but stayed silent,watching her lean a stone bowl containing a greenish-yellow liquid in it. "I haven't seen Adora or Catra in some time. I don't doubt that Catra got her into some sort of trouble."Shadow Weaver said and Storm picked up on the hint of annoyance in her tone.

"What am I needed for?"Storm asked sharply,wanting her to get to the point. "I need you to go find them and bring them back."she told him. Storm cupped his chin in thought. Maybe this mission can help me learn some information about the Rebellion. He did need to gather information for Hordak and he couldn't exactly stay here and do nothing. He must've taken some time thinking for Shadow Weaver added,"Think of this as your first mission to prove your loyalty to the Horde." Storm growled lowly,though he knew she had a point considering he was a stranger and he had attacked two Horde soldiers which would make some people question his loyalty. He looked up at her.

"I shall retrieve Adora and Catra."he said. Shadow Weaver nodded. "I'll prepare a few tanks for you. If my guess of their capture is correct then the Horde needs to send a little message."

* * *

"Exactly how far are we from your castle Sparkles?" "We're not far now. We just have to go through a village."Glimmer replied. "Don't see why you can't teleport us there."Catra muttered,though she wasn't too keen on that idea. Minutes afterward,they finally reached the village.

It was more than what Adora thought it would be.

Bright colored flowers were woven around tents and on trees,people laughing joyously along with kids running around. She went to take a closer look but Glimmer grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bushes. "Alright the jacket comes off."Glimmer said. "Why?"Adora asked. "Because if the villagers see I Horde soldier they'll freak out,"Glimmer explained. "So we got to fix all of this."she added,gesturing to her. Reluctantly,she took off her jacket and gave it to Glimmer who draped a light blue cloth over her.

She looked down at herself and frowned.

"I look ridiculous."she commented. "That's because you don't have something to pull it all together."Bow said,looking at her closely for a moment then snapped his fingers. He turned around and picked a flower from a nearby bush then put it into her hair. Her face grimaced. "I don't like it."she whined. "Should I call you princess Adora now?"Catra said with a laugh. She narrowed her eyes at Catra. "I don't know why you're laughing,"Glimmer told Catra. "You're giving to have the same thing done to you."

Catra immediately stopped laughing.

In the blink of an eye,she turned and leaped towards the tree branches above them. "Hey! Get back here,Horde scum!"Glimmer yelled. She teleported from beside her and Bow right beside Catra,grabbing her arms,then teleporting back to them as Catra struggled. "Let me go!"she snared,fighting desperately against Glimmer. "Will you just stay still!"Glimmer hissed in annoyance,holding Catra's arms behind her and forcing her to keep still. "Bow,help me here!" "Coming!"Bow said,walking over to Glimmer and helping to tame the fighting Catra. Adora had to stifle her laughter at the sight of Catra,who had finally given up at running away and resorted to grumbling and growling at Bow and Glimmer as they redecorated her.

They finally moved away from her and Adora couldn't hold back the burst of laughter when she saw Catra. She had a flower crown on her head and one around her neck and a white cloth draped over her shoulder. "I guess I should call you princess Catra."she told her laughing. "Oh shut up!"Catra retorted. "I look so stupid in this." "The point is you both don't look like Horde soldiers anymore. Just try to keep a low profile,we'll be in and out."Glimmer said,walking ahead with them in tow. Adora noticed that everyone seemed to be so calm and happy. "What is this?"she asked Bow. "It's a festival. You know,like a big party." Adora's face scrunched in confusion as she looked at Bow. "Party?"she heard Catra asked,her face also scrunched in confusion.

"You don't have parties at the Fright Zone?"he said. The way Bow had said that and been watching them suggested that this party thing was supposed to be a normal thing. "Oh right parties,"Adora said. "We...um..totally got-" "We don't have parties or even know what that is."Catra stated bluntly,giving Adora an eye roll. Bow's eyes widened in horror as he made a noise of horror. "Did you not hear what I just said Bow?"Glimmer hissed at him. "In and out!" "Glimmer,they have never been to a party before. This is serious!"he said sternly.

Without missing a beat,he grabbed both her and Catra's hands and dragged them over to a wooden building with a person behind it who gave Bow some sort of pinkish food. He said his thanks,broke it in two and gave both of them a piece. Adora raised her piece to her mouth and tentatively took a bite from it. The fruit was sweet,sugary and one of the best things she had ever tasted in her life. She looked over at Catra and smiled as she saw her ravenously eating the fruit,her eyes lighting up like the sun.

Bow smiled,seeing the expressions on their faces. "If you like that then there's more where that came from."he told them as he grabbed them by their arms and dragged them over a cluster of tables with a few other people around and bowls filled with the fruit they had just tried. "Plus,you get a nice show to watch."Bow added as he gestured to the people dancing on the tables. Adora glanced at Catra smiling when she saw her watching the dancers in amazement,like she was in a trance,and she contented herself with ravenously eating all the fruit within reach. Once the dancers finished their performance,Bow quickly dragged them over to a group of kids who were circling around some sort of object hanging from a tree branch. One of the kids noticed their arrival and gave her a long,hefty stick. Adora nodded her head in thanks and glanced at Bow in confusion.

"That's a pinata. All you gotta do is hit it until it breaks open."Bow told her quietly. She nodded to him in thanks before walking over to the pinata. Once she was near it,she got herself into a battle stance and slowly approached the pinata. She could feel the gazes of the kids on her and decided that she would give them a show. With a small smile,she rushed over to the pinata,slashing the stick in a sideway arc and hitting it on its flank. As the pinata swayed back and forth,she jumped towards it then raised the stick high above her head and smashed it onto the pinata. The string snapped off the tree branch as the pinata broke into two halves as it fell onto the ground. All the kids erupted into cheers and ran over to the pinata. Adora placed the stick on the ground as she watched the now defeated pinata with a proud smile before turning to the others. "Show off."Catra said with an eye roll. Adora laughed. "Hey,I was just giving them a show."she replied. Catra just shook her head but Adora saw the smile she was trying to hide.

"The fun doesn't just stop here,"Bow exclaimed happily. "There's lots more of this so come on!" For the next hour,despite Glimmer's protests,Bow had shown them multiple shows,given them various types of foods and more than Adora could even remember. She never knew that life could be so joyous,easygoing. So vibrant with happiness. Soon,Catra,her and Bow found a nice,quiet spot between a house where she and Catra were eating some of the food. "So you guys don't have parties at all? What about on your birthdays?"Bow asked them.

Both of them turned to him with blank looks on their faces.

His eyes widened as he looked at them with a horrified expression. "No birthdays! How is your life this sad?"he asked. Adora opened her mouth to answer but got cut off as Catra grabbed Bow's arm. "What is that?"she said softly,pointing to something in front of them. Adora turned in the direction she was pointing at and her eyes widened along with her mouth making an O shape.

Not too far away from them,seemingly eating the grass below,was a four-legged creature with a light brown coat and slightly darker brown mane from its head to its neck. "That would be a horse."Bow answered. "It's...majestic."Adora said in awe as she watched the creature. She saw Bow look between her and Catra with a small smile. "You guys wanna meet it?"he asked. "What? No!"both her and Catra said in unison but their protests were ignored as Bow pushed them gently towards the horse. "It's alright you guys. Look see,he likes you."Bow told them as he grabbed their hands and lightly put them on the horse's nose. Adora felt her heart nearly explode as the horse leaned into their touch,making soft noises.

"This is the best day of my life!"she said happily as she gently patted the horse's nose. "For once,I got to agree with you Adora,"Catra replied as she lightly scratched its chin. "If I had known about this type of lifestyle,I might have left the Horde sooner." Adora nodded,finding herself agreeing.

That peaceful moment was soon distrubed as she heard a loud bang soon followed with screaming. Shocked,she turned around to see columns of smoke raising ahead of them.

"What's going on?"Bow asked them. "One way to find out. Come on."Glimmer said as she ran off with them quickly following behind. They soon reached the source of the noise and Adora felt her blood instantly run cold. The once vibrant and joyful village was now a gray pile of rubble. Horde bots were crawling all over the place,shooting at everything in their sight as people ran to get away from the destruction. "It's the Horde!"Glimmer yelled. "Why are they here?"Bow asked her. "The people of Thaymore aren't a threat to them."

If her blood had turned cold before then it was pure ice now.

"Wait,"she said,turning to face Bow and Glimmer. "That's not right. This can't be Thaymore!" A look of confusion crossed Glimmer's face before anger quickly replaced it. "Did you know something about this?"she growled,taking a step closer to her. "No! I mean yes but this has to be a mistake. Thaymore is supposed to be a heavily fortified rebel fortress not a civilian town!"she protested. "Seems like their information was off."Catra remarked. "Do you really think that matters to them!"Glimmer yelled,gesturing to the frightened people and the destroyed town.

Adora looked at the destruction before her in dismay and horror.

_ They must have not noticed. The Horde wouldn't do something like this. They wouldn't!_ She told herself.

"We can get them to stop. This is all just a big mistake,we just need to talk to them."she told Bow and Glimmer. "Get as many people as you can out of here and don't let them see you." She removed the cloth off her body as she turned to Catra. "You ready?"she asked. "I was born ready,Adora."Catra replied. Adora nodded then looked over her shoulder to face Bow and Glimmer. "I'm really sorry."she told them sincerely before she and Catra took off towards the invading Horde army,ignoring the yells from Bow.

* * *

**Athor's note: Alright,first thing to address is that no I am not dead still very much alive and I'm still working on this story. If you read my update post then you'll know why updates will be slower than I would like. Next up is that this chapter will be split into three parts since it was a little too big to make it into only two parts. With all that said,I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next one!**


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